:00:02. > :00:06.Hello. Welcome to Tuesday's Look North. In tonight's headlines:
:00:06. > :00:15.Room for debate. Protests grow over the Government's controversial
:00:16. > :00:21.bedroom tax. If people stand up and say this is wrong, we are not going
:00:21. > :00:26.to do it, and everybody stood up, walked out onto the street and told
:00:26. > :00:29.them straight you can't do it. Unexplained. An open verdict at an
:00:29. > :00:31.inquest into the death of a woman whose body was found in undergrowth
:00:31. > :00:35.in Cumbria. Banking on success. Sir Richard
:00:35. > :00:39.Branson's in the region and he's revealed big plans for expansion.
:00:39. > :00:45.And teens' choice. How some pupils will be allowed to leave school at
:00:45. > :00:48.In sport, we've been to watch the awards dished out to some of the
:00:48. > :00:50.region's top disabled athletes. And the boot's on the other foot,
:00:50. > :01:00.as Middlesbrough defender George Friend finds out what it's like to
:01:00. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:13.It's been called the bedroom tax and it will affect thousands of
:01:13. > :01:16.tenants in our region. But now some are preparing to fight back. A
:01:16. > :01:19.summit meeting was called today of the people that represent 100,000
:01:19. > :01:22.tenants across the North East. They were gathering to discuss the
:01:22. > :01:28.impact and how they might fight this benefit change. Our Political
:01:28. > :01:31.Editor Richard Moss was there. It might look pretty civilised, but
:01:31. > :01:33.this is actually a council of war. Tenants from associations across
:01:33. > :01:43.the North East gathering because don't like the so-called bedroom
:01:43. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :01:49.tax. They include people who will take a hit. And that's because of
:01:49. > :01:51.the effect on people like Alison McCauley from Skelton in Teesside.
:01:51. > :01:55.Under the new rules, her four bedroom-house will be classed as
:01:55. > :01:57.having two bedrooms too many for the single mother and her twin sons.
:01:57. > :02:01.The result? It is not there to penalise me and my children. For
:02:01. > :02:10.something that is not my fault. I didn't deliberately go into a four
:02:10. > :02:14.bedroomed house. It started out as a family of six. It has been my
:02:14. > :02:19.children's home for several years and now we can't live there. She'll
:02:19. > :02:23.lose �150 a month in benefits. He lives on his own in a two-bedroom
:02:23. > :02:29.flat in Dormanstown. But because of his spare room, he'll lose around
:02:29. > :02:34.�11 of housing benefit a week. going to have to cut down on fuel,
:02:34. > :02:39.food, living expenses and costs. I am willing to move to another
:02:39. > :02:42.property but there is no other property available. So, this
:02:42. > :02:44.meeting of tenants associations is deciding how it can protest against
:02:44. > :02:46.the changes. Its organiser was the Coast and Country Housing
:02:46. > :02:50.Association. But wouldn't they be better helping tenants find new
:02:50. > :02:56.affordable homes rather than stoking up protest? At this moment
:02:57. > :03:06.in time, there are 1,800 tenants and occupying and as we speak today,
:03:07. > :03:07.
:03:07. > :03:09.we have two two bedroom apartments available. So there is not a
:03:09. > :03:12.plethora of accommodation. here's one woman who's been
:03:12. > :03:14.delighted to see some action. Maureen Hagan lives with her
:03:14. > :03:17.granddaughter in Grangetown. She'll also lose money for having a spare
:03:17. > :03:25.bedroom. But after today's meeting, she feels a protest movement is
:03:25. > :03:29.gaining momentum. When you're used to working in a group of three
:03:29. > :03:33.people fighting all these taxes and you come to anything like this and
:03:33. > :03:38.you realise there is more than three of you, it is brilliant. It
:03:38. > :03:43.gives you that extra boost. And I hope, I really hope it goes on
:03:43. > :03:46.further. The Government is determined that it has to cut the
:03:46. > :03:48.housing benefit bill. And protestors have just a few weeks to
:03:48. > :03:51.persuade ministers this is the wrong way.
:03:51. > :03:58.Richard Moss is here now. Is the Government under real pressure over
:03:58. > :04:06.this now, as the protests mount? The pressure is mounting. The
:04:06. > :04:12.Government wants to stick to its guns. This Bill could be �20
:04:12. > :04:18.billion a year. This could shave �5 billion off the bill. But
:04:18. > :04:21.unfairness is another issue. This is what the MPs said. It was unfair
:04:21. > :04:26.to have people living in social housing accommodation that was
:04:26. > :04:30.above and beyond what was route -- required for their living standards
:04:30. > :04:33.and having 5 million people on the social housing waiting list and
:04:33. > :04:38.having more than a quarter of a million people living in
:04:38. > :04:43.overcrowded accommodation. There is a trade to be had. It is pertinent
:04:43. > :04:47.to the North East because recent figures show that more than 46% of
:04:47. > :04:52.all recipients of housing benefit in the North East are being paid to
:04:52. > :04:55.live in accommodation that is too large for their requirements.
:04:55. > :05:04.Government seems quite determined over this bedroom tax. The
:05:04. > :05:08.protesters cannot stop it, can they? It is not like the poll tax,
:05:08. > :05:14.people cannot refuse to pay it. It is a cup to their benefits. They
:05:14. > :05:18.will not have a quiz. -- hut to their benefits. There is a budget
:05:18. > :05:24.due. Maybe it can persuade the Chancellor that this is the wrong
:05:24. > :05:29.option to choose. The Housing Association said they are calling
:05:29. > :05:36.this the nasty tax. The Government says that for everybody who is a
:05:36. > :05:40.loser, there is the winner. The -- there is a winner.
:05:40. > :05:43.The coroner at the inquest into the death of a woman found in
:05:43. > :05:45.undergrowth in Cumbria has recorded an open verdict. Deputy coroner
:05:45. > :05:49.Robert Chapman said he believed Betty Brown had probably died after
:05:49. > :05:51.being the victim of a sexually motivated attack. But almost three
:05:51. > :05:58.years since her disappearance, there wasn't enough evidence to say
:05:58. > :06:01.exactly what happened to her. Alison Freeman reports.
:06:01. > :06:07.No-one knows for sure why Betty Brown left Edinburgh on May the
:06:07. > :06:12.18th 2010. But the following January, the 56-year-old's body was
:06:12. > :06:16.found in undergrowth in Longtown. She was often met there by her
:06:16. > :06:20.daughter and son-in-law before going to their house in Gretna. But
:06:20. > :06:23.uncharacteristically Betty hadn't told them she was coming. Today,
:06:23. > :06:30.the deputy coroner Robert Chapman recorded an open verdict, saying
:06:30. > :06:33.there wasn't enough evidence to say exactly what had happened to Betty.
:06:33. > :06:42.The pathologist told the inquest in Carlisle her body was too badly
:06:43. > :06:47.decomposed to find the cause of death. He said that despite her a
:06:47. > :06:50.drink problem and depression, he ruled a suicide because she had
:06:50. > :06:54.belongings were for suggesting she was planning a week away. He also
:06:54. > :06:58.said that because she was naked from the waist down with her
:06:58. > :07:05.clothing scattered around her, he believed she had been lured into
:07:05. > :07:11.the undergrowth by an attacker, who was sexually motivated. I think it
:07:11. > :07:15.was an unlawful killing. I am quite happy that the coroner has given an
:07:16. > :07:21.open verdict because it means the case is left open. I would never
:07:21. > :07:27.have got over it if they said that my sister had committed suicide. I
:07:27. > :07:33.knew my sister. I knew she would not do that. She would not have
:07:33. > :07:38.taken her life. All that trouble to come down here. She was heading to
:07:38. > :07:44.her family. It has been very frustrating because you've got a
:07:44. > :07:49.family that want to know what has happened to their mother and sister.
:07:49. > :07:55.As the police, we like to deliver that. On this occasion, due to the
:07:55. > :08:00.lack of evidence we have had, we haven't been able to do that, but
:08:00. > :08:03.we have left no stone unturned. What happened to Betty remains a
:08:04. > :08:08.mystery but there is hope that someone who knows the truth will
:08:08. > :08:11.come forward. Sir Richard Branson has said Virgin
:08:11. > :08:16.Money could transform itself into a major banking player by buying
:08:16. > :08:20.hundreds of branches from Royal Bank of Scotland. They would be
:08:20. > :08:23.added to the 70 branches that came with the takeover of Northern Rock.
:08:23. > :08:33.The Virgin boss was in Newcastle this morning meeting staff and
:08:33. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:38.young entrepreneurs. Our Business Correspondent Ian Reeve reports.
:08:38. > :08:41.One year on from Virgin Money's takeover of Northern Rock and the
:08:41. > :08:44.Virgin chairman is here casting his eye over the acquisition. And, he
:08:44. > :08:52.says, the bank's thinking big. It could make a bid to buy 316
:08:52. > :08:56.branches from Royal Bank of Scotland., RBS want to play ball,
:08:56. > :08:59.we may well be there to talk to them about their branches as well
:08:59. > :09:03.to see if we can do to their brothers what we have done to
:09:03. > :09:08.Northern Rock. Currently, Virgin Money only has 70 branches. A deal
:09:08. > :09:15.with RBS would deliver nearly two million customers and 250,000 small
:09:15. > :09:20.business accounts. If we were to take over the RBS branches and
:09:20. > :09:25.invest the kind of money we have done in Northern Rock branches, we
:09:25. > :09:32.would be a serious player on the High Street. People would like to
:09:32. > :09:34.see an alternative bank. We would be that alternative bank. On his
:09:34. > :09:38.visit, Sir Richard also met young regional entrepreneurs. They've
:09:38. > :09:43.been given loans from a scheme he persuaded the Government to set up.
:09:43. > :09:48.The future of Great Britain will be based on a kind of young
:09:48. > :09:56.entrepreneurs I've met today. Some of them were built the Virgins of
:09:56. > :09:58.the future. And they remind me of myself years ago. Jessica was just
:09:58. > :10:08.one. But her idea of waterproof children's rain and swimwear caught
:10:08. > :10:12.the eye. It is great to meet him. He is such a role model for
:10:12. > :10:17.entrepreneurs. It is an honour to meet him. For the region, it is
:10:17. > :10:25.good to know that Sir Richard could be writing out a cheque to expand a
:10:25. > :10:29.bank that, as Northern Rock, has less than a bright future.
:10:29. > :10:32.One of Sir Richard Branson's other interests was in the news today as
:10:32. > :10:34.it was revealed the bungled bidding process for the West Coast Mainline
:10:34. > :10:37.rail franchise has cost taxpayers �50 million, according to a
:10:37. > :10:40.Westminster watchdog. Virgin Rail originally lost out to First Group
:10:40. > :10:43.in the battle to run West Coast trains, but when questions were
:10:43. > :10:47.asked about the bidding process, the whole franchise battle was put
:10:47. > :10:52.on ice. The Commons Public Accounts Committee has pointed to a failure
:10:52. > :10:55.to get basic processes right. Police investigating violence
:10:55. > :10:59.before last month's football match between Sunderland and West Ham
:10:59. > :11:03.have released images of two men they want to speak to. The men were
:11:03. > :11:07.picked up on CCTV and are being urged to contact officers. So far,
:11:07. > :11:13.20 people have been arrested after trouble outside a bar in Low Row on
:11:13. > :11:17.January the 12th. Police believe the disorder was pre-arranged.
:11:17. > :11:21.A barrister held a gun to his own head in a courtroom today at the
:11:21. > :11:24.inquest into the death of a soldier in Iraq. The QC was holding the
:11:24. > :11:27.very weapon that killed Lance Cpl David Wilson from County Durham
:11:27. > :11:32.after what the inquest heard was a drunken incident involving several
:11:32. > :11:34.comrades. It was also told that the 27-year-old soldier, from
:11:35. > :11:41.Spennymoor, had everything to live for. Gerry Jackson has been
:11:41. > :11:47.following the evidence at the hearing in Crook.
:11:47. > :11:51.This tragedy happened at Basra in 2008 as the British deployment was
:11:51. > :11:55.coming to an end. The solders had been ordered to carry fire arms at
:11:55. > :12:00.all times as a security measure. David Wilson was found slumped over
:12:00. > :12:04.a desk with a single gunshot wound to his head. At that time, the MoD
:12:04. > :12:09.said there was nothing to suggest anyone else had been involved but
:12:09. > :12:13.yesterday the inquest he was told that are sold at the funeral had
:12:13. > :12:17.told a mourner there were four of us, we had been drinking, something
:12:17. > :12:25.happened that should never have happened. We were all drunk. The
:12:25. > :12:30.inquest has also heard that alcohol was tightly restricted at the base.
:12:30. > :12:36.It also heard that Lance Corporal Wilson was three times over the
:12:36. > :12:40.drink-drive limit. He had become dressed before the two and 11 week
:12:40. > :12:46.old child, was engaged to be married, was cheerful and that
:12:46. > :12:51.suicide would have been out of character. And then today's real
:12:51. > :12:57.drama. William Boyce QC acting for the solder's family in front of his
:12:57. > :13:02.fiancee, father and twin brother was hand at the very 9 mm pistol
:13:02. > :13:05.found next to David Wilson's body. He suggested to the pathologist who
:13:05. > :13:10.performed the post-mortem that the angle that he was holding it
:13:10. > :13:16.against his head would have been awkward and unnatural for someone
:13:16. > :13:20.to achieve that wanted to shoot themselves. The pathologist agreed
:13:20. > :13:26.that was a possible interpretation but said it would depend on the
:13:26. > :13:30.inclination of the soldier's head. Also today, the inquest heard from
:13:30. > :13:35.Staff Sergeant Anthony Todd who admitted he had been drinking with
:13:35. > :13:40.the soldier on the night he died. He said a considerable amount of
:13:40. > :13:45.vodka had been consumed but he said he had gone off to bed at around 2
:13:45. > :13:48.am and hadn't heard the shot fired that killed Lance Corporal David
:13:48. > :13:50.Wilson. The inquest is expected to continue tomorrow.
:13:50. > :13:52.You're watching Look North. Still to come tonight:
:13:52. > :14:00.Jeff's here with tonight's sports desk.
:14:00. > :14:05.Football hack. Meet the Boro player who's tasting life in a newsroom.
:14:05. > :14:12.High pressure remains enshrined the next few days with temperatures
:14:12. > :14:15.dependent on cloud amount. Dry and later for the full forecast. --
:14:15. > :14:19.joined me later. Motorists across the region are
:14:19. > :14:21.being warned to expect to pay record prices at the fuel pumps by
:14:21. > :14:24.Easter. The cost of petrol and diesel is expected to continue
:14:24. > :14:27.rising over the coming weeks. People living in rural areas could
:14:27. > :14:33.be among those hardest hit. Peter Marshall's been to Cumbria to find
:14:33. > :14:36.out more. Filling your tank is proving
:14:36. > :14:43.increasingly dramatic with pump prices on the up and a third of
:14:43. > :14:48.increase expected. It really rose last year. This couple downsize
:14:48. > :14:53.their car to save petrol money only to see savings eaten away by price
:14:53. > :14:59.rises. We were trying to save the money them spent it on the kids,
:14:59. > :15:04.given them treats, that happens. gets to the weekend and even a
:15:05. > :15:10.friend coming with us for a walk, we can't afford to do it because we
:15:10. > :15:16.can't afford the fuel. It does not trust a rural issue. In the North
:15:16. > :15:22.West, petrol prices went up 6.2 pence per litre from January to
:15:22. > :15:29.February. Diesel went up 5.2 pence so an average litre costs trust
:15:29. > :15:38.over �1.44. It means a two-car family's petrol bill has risen by
:15:38. > :15:45.�30 -- 13 proms 25. Petrol prices in isolated areas can also be
:15:45. > :15:51.higher. The smaller rural retailers don't have the volume to be able to
:15:51. > :15:56.offer significant price reductions. And the distribution cost us
:15:56. > :16:01.greater to them than it is often to a convenient nearby urban centre.
:16:01. > :16:06.The a blames rises on the falling pound and the stock market
:16:06. > :16:09.speculators and the stark warning is pump prices haven't peaked yet.
:16:09. > :16:12.A glitzy event masterminded by two North East business men is set to
:16:12. > :16:15.raise at least �300,000 for three of our region's charities. Graham
:16:15. > :16:18.Wylie and Ian Watson are hosting an event next month called Fashion
:16:18. > :16:20.Match in the grounds of Newcastle Falcons to raise funds for the
:16:20. > :16:25.Children's Heart Unit fund at the Freeman Hospital for Marie Curie
:16:25. > :16:27.and the Chef's Adopt A School Charity. Celebrities including the
:16:27. > :16:34.Royle Family's Ralph Little, and comedian Bobby Davro will be
:16:34. > :16:41.supporting. Is 14 too young to decide what you
:16:41. > :16:45.want to do with your life? I couldn't decide what to have for
:16:45. > :16:48.lunch at that age! The question comes as youngsters of that in age
:16:48. > :16:51.in Harrogate have been told they'll soon be able to leave school and go
:16:51. > :16:54.to college. It's part of Government plans to give young people more
:16:54. > :17:01.options and, it hopes, more chance of finding a job. Stuart Whincup
:17:01. > :17:06.reports. In the college salon, it looks like
:17:06. > :17:10.the real thing. Hair and beauty is one of three subjects offered to 14
:17:10. > :17:16.year-olds in Harrogate under new plans. The idea is to offer
:17:16. > :17:20.youngsters more tries. For some students, school is not the ideal
:17:20. > :17:24.learning environment. Some thrive better in a college environment. We
:17:24. > :17:29.have staff industry trained, and we have facilities that are industry-
:17:29. > :17:35.standard so we have links with employers which stops them on a
:17:35. > :17:40.pathway for employment later, possibly apprenticeships. Some have
:17:40. > :17:48.criticised the plan. 14, they say, is too young to know what career to
:17:48. > :17:51.follow but the MP visited the college and a more practical
:17:51. > :17:58.education would benefit his daughter, he says. The worst thing
:17:58. > :18:01.is for her to sit in a classroom and not understand what is going on.
:18:01. > :18:05.She loves cookery, and if you can do something like that, it would
:18:05. > :18:09.benefit her greatly. Harrogate College is one of 200 across the
:18:09. > :18:14.country to be given the green light to run the courses which will start
:18:14. > :18:19.in September. The college says this is not an easy option. All the
:18:19. > :18:23.courses come with mandatory GCSEs in English, science and maths, and
:18:23. > :18:31.this is about offering youngsters a taste about a profession they might
:18:31. > :18:34.want to pursue. Now, you knew what you wanted to do
:18:34. > :18:37.at 14. I'd always wanted to be a sports
:18:37. > :18:41.reporter. Keep going, you might get there and
:18:41. > :18:44.you might be famous one day! 2012 was an outstanding year for
:18:44. > :18:47.sport generally and disabled sport in particular. The London
:18:47. > :18:49.Paralympics was the most successful in the history of the Games, and
:18:50. > :18:54.this lunchtime local athletes were honoured at a special ceremony in
:18:54. > :18:59.Durham. For one young star it meant another award to add to the trophy
:18:59. > :19:02.cabinet, as Dawn Thewlis reports. 2012 was a remarkable year for this
:19:02. > :19:06.young man. At just 15, swimmer Josef Craig became the youngest
:19:06. > :19:09.Paralympic gold medallist breaking two world records in the process.
:19:09. > :19:12.He's won countless awards since and today was no different as he picked
:19:12. > :19:22.up the Young Male Achiever trophy at the North East Disability Sport
:19:22. > :19:25.
:19:25. > :19:30.Awards. And my mum doesn't like it, she puts up all the shells and
:19:30. > :19:40.builds everything. She says, stop winning them. I am sick of doing
:19:40. > :19:43.
:19:43. > :19:45.DIY. I still think, how did I do that in a million years? And it was
:19:45. > :19:49.another trophy for swimmer Stephanie Moore who won the
:19:49. > :19:53.equivalent awards for the girls. wish every nominee got a trophy
:19:53. > :19:55.this year because there were some inspirational athletes and I hope
:19:55. > :19:58.they do succeed in 2013. Teesside Paralympic wheelchair basketball
:19:58. > :20:00.player Terry Bywater won the male Personality Award collected by
:20:00. > :20:06.former Paralympian Lee Fawcett on his behalf. And Gayle Bloomfield
:20:06. > :20:12.won the women's award for her success in dressage. I am totally
:20:12. > :20:16.blown away. I am over the moon. It is great to be recognised for your
:20:16. > :20:21.dedication to your sport because we trained very hard and you hope you
:20:21. > :20:24.can produce a good result. But then to be recognised it is lovely,
:20:24. > :20:27.really lovely. There was also recognition for Tees Rowing Club
:20:27. > :20:29.home of Olympic champion Kat Copeland which won the Club Of The
:20:29. > :20:32.Year trophy for their programme promoting adaptive rowing. And Liz
:20:32. > :20:35.Starrs and Glynis Hansen were winners of the Service To Sport
:20:35. > :20:38.Award for 25 years helping Hartlepool Sportability club. And
:20:38. > :20:41.for Paralympic legend and three time gold medallist Stephen Miller
:20:41. > :20:45.there was a special award. A hip injury prevented him from making
:20:45. > :20:51.the podium in London but captaining the British team and the success of
:20:51. > :20:59.the games made up for his disappointment on the field. I've
:20:59. > :21:08.got no regrets. It was a great games. I'm glad I did what it did
:21:08. > :21:16.for disability sport. It is a great turning-point for Paralympic sports.
:21:16. > :21:19.We need to keep going. The drink is real. It is alive. -- the dream is
:21:19. > :21:21.real. On to football, and at the
:21:21. > :21:24.Riverside tomorrow night it's Middlesbrough against Chelsea for a
:21:24. > :21:27.place in the FA Cup quarter final. But what do footballers do when
:21:27. > :21:30.they finish training? A round of golf? A bit of shopping? Well, not
:21:30. > :21:33.Boro's George Friend. George is doing a part-time degree in
:21:33. > :21:42.journalism, and he's been learning from the club's PR team and from
:21:42. > :21:47.our radio colleagues at BBC Tees. Peter Harris went to meet him.
:21:47. > :21:53.North Yorkshire. County Durham. Teesside. Proud of where we leave -
:21:53. > :21:56.- live. BBC tees. A bit of spare time saw Middlesbrough's left-back
:21:56. > :22:04.signing up at the local radio station for work experience.
:22:04. > :22:09.Learning a new trade is all part of the university degree course.
:22:09. > :22:14.me, the university work is a bit of escapism. I can use my mind in a
:22:14. > :22:18.different way and I enjoyed that learning aspect of it. Where others
:22:18. > :22:23.might play golf, I do this. There has been working at BBC Tees once a
:22:23. > :22:27.week when his football schedule allows. This is the practical side
:22:27. > :22:31.of the degree emotionalism and broadcasting. One of the successes
:22:31. > :22:36.of Middlesbrough's season so far, he is used to dealing with the
:22:36. > :22:42.media but has newsroom live surprised him? This year, I am out
:22:42. > :22:48.of work because for every little thing that comes out for the vans
:22:48. > :22:54.and public, it all revolves around the club, so there is a lot of work
:22:54. > :22:58.involved. Arsenal lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich... He has taken to it
:22:58. > :23:02.as a natural, he is learning different disciplines all the time,
:23:02. > :23:06.he is learning how to write bulletins, he is learning how to
:23:06. > :23:10.edit our interviews, but he is also doing a bit of reporting for
:23:10. > :23:14.himself, he is helping us get behind the scenes of the training
:23:14. > :23:22.ground. We cannot get that close as reporters, so that is a real
:23:22. > :23:31.insight for us. When I did some work experience 20 years ago, I did
:23:32. > :23:38.the tea. Have you made tea it was I haven't had to make any tea yet.
:23:38. > :23:42.They were very good to me and they didn't pass me around too much. It
:23:42. > :23:45.has been a good experience so far. That was really good, there. Well
:23:45. > :23:52.done. He hopes to be writing headlines for himself tomorrow when
:23:52. > :23:55.Middlesbrough take control seat in the FA Cup. -- take on Chelsea in
:23:55. > :23:59.the FA Cup. Staying with football, four matches
:23:59. > :24:02.to watch out for tonight. In League One, BBC Radio Cumbria will bring
:24:02. > :24:05.you commentary of Carlisle against Walsall, while BBC Tees will keep
:24:05. > :24:08.you updated on the latest instalment of Hartlepool's Great
:24:08. > :24:12.Escape. They're at home to Crewe. Radio York will have coverage of
:24:12. > :24:16.the Minstermen's short trip to Rotherham. And in Scottish Division
:24:16. > :24:18.Three, Berwick take on Elgin City at Shielfield Park.
:24:19. > :24:22.Durham expect captain Paul Collingwood to be fit for the new
:24:22. > :24:25.season despite surgery to repair an injured thumb. The former England
:24:25. > :24:29.batsman suffered a ruptured tendon in his right hand last year, but
:24:29. > :24:31.surgery was delayed until the swelling went down. Collingwood led
:24:31. > :24:37.Durham's recovery after taking over as skipper following a poor start
:24:37. > :24:41.to the 2012 season. In rugby Union, Newcastle Falcons
:24:41. > :24:44.have signed winger Noah Cato from Northampton Saints. The 24 year-old
:24:44. > :24:47.who's represented England in the Sevens and at U20 level has joined
:24:47. > :24:57.until the end of the season to bolster the Falcons' squad ahead of
:24:57. > :25:02.
:25:02. > :25:07.Now, Paul has been enigmatic over the weather. Is it going to be
:25:08. > :25:14.cold? It is all to do with cloud amounts.
:25:14. > :25:19.It is critical. Most places will stay dry. Where the cloud bricks,
:25:19. > :25:29.we will see sunshine. But those bricks will also give us Frost and
:25:29. > :25:29.
:25:30. > :25:37.fog. Cowden Mountsorrel so variable, resulting in various temperatures.
:25:37. > :25:43.-- cloud and Melzer were variable. As I say, the cloud will vary from
:25:43. > :25:51.place to place. The further North you bar, the more broken the cloud
:25:51. > :25:56.will be. That is where we will see some mist and fog. Temperatures
:25:56. > :26:01.will generally state trust above freezing where it stays cloudy. A
:26:01. > :26:07.chilly start tomorrow and any early fog patch is cleared through the
:26:07. > :26:13.morning and a bank of cloud breaks up nicely as we go through the day.
:26:13. > :26:18.-- and that Bank of cloud. The Cumbrian crew of staff, the
:26:18. > :26:23.temperatures should seize seven or eight Celsius. -- the Cumbrian
:26:23. > :26:26.coast. High pressure stays with us as we head through tomorrow and
:26:26. > :26:31.right through the rest of the working week. On Thursday, this
:26:31. > :26:37.weather front sinks down from the North. It might increase the cloud
:26:37. > :26:41.amount but it shouldn't produce much rain. The high pressure
:26:41. > :26:51.establishes itself again as we head towards a beacon. If you are out
:26:51. > :26:52.
:26:52. > :26:58.and about, large dry. Friday, more cloud combined with the wind, it
:26:58. > :27:06.will feel cooler. For Cumbria, a little bit more cloud at times
:27:06. > :27:11.tomorrow and again on Thursday. Temperatures at 7 or 8. The cloud
:27:11. > :27:16.thickening on Friday. For most of Cumbria, we should see temperatures
:27:16. > :27:21.almost nudging double figures. Remember, catch up with all the
:27:21. > :27:25.weather information on the website. And we will keep you updated on
:27:25. > :27:29.your local BBC radio station. That is the way the weather is looking