:00:10. > :00:14.programme tonight. All eyes on us. The Ashes are won,
:00:14. > :00:16.now England bid to win the series as the most important fixture in world
:00:16. > :00:20.cricket comes to our region for the first time.
:00:20. > :00:21.Also tonight, lean times for the charity set up by blinded police
:00:21. > :00:25.officer David Rathband, as donations fall away.
:00:25. > :00:28.Big, brazen, and after your bin bags. Carlisle battles to stop the
:00:28. > :00:31.seagull flocks trashing the city centre.
:00:31. > :00:36.And a celebrity surprise for the charity that's just been voted the
:00:36. > :00:39.nation's favourite. In sport, Newcastle United edge
:00:39. > :00:43.closer to their first summer signing.
:00:43. > :00:53.And how three of our Football League clubs are wishing rain had stopped
:00:53. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:02.play as pre-season optimism turns to It's the biggest week for cricket
:01:02. > :01:04.our region has ever seen. On Friday, the Fourth Test in the Ashes series
:01:04. > :01:08.starts at the Emirates International ground at Chester-le-Street.
:01:08. > :01:17.Thousands of cricket fans will be making their way to the County
:01:17. > :01:19.Durham town. Cverage will be seen world-wide. England, of course, are
:01:19. > :01:22.now certain to hold on to the sport's most coveted prize, the
:01:22. > :01:28.ceremonial urn,- because rain over Manchester today meant the Third
:01:28. > :01:31.Test ended in a draw. Even if they lose the last two games, and share
:01:31. > :01:34.the series, England, as holders, will retain the Ashes.
:01:34. > :01:44.But the goal now is to win the series outright at
:01:44. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:49.Chester-le-Street. Katie Gornall is there for us now.
:01:50. > :01:57.You may be able to make out some puddles forming on the field. It is
:01:57. > :02:00.usually quiet will stop we can only imagine what the atmosphere will be
:02:00. > :02:10.like on Friday when this all gets underway in front of a sell-out
:02:10. > :02:15.
:02:15. > :02:23.crowd. Chester-le-Street has been hosting matches for some years. The
:02:23. > :02:33.excitement has been building. We can have a look at some of the
:02:33. > :02:47.
:02:47. > :02:54.population figures for other places coming here to watch the cricket
:02:54. > :03:00.than there are people in the town itself. It is not the first time
:03:00. > :03:10.that is truly have come to the region play cricket. -- the first
:03:10. > :03:12.
:03:12. > :03:19.time that Australia. This ground in Sunderland has hosted
:03:19. > :03:28.no fewer than ten matches against Australia. Australia's cricketing
:03:28. > :03:38.connections with Darren Gould back further than you may think. --
:03:38. > :03:40.
:03:40. > :03:50.connections with Darren. For nearly 100 years team photos were taken in
:03:50. > :03:54.
:03:54. > :04:00.the adjacent bowls pavilion. will have to go a long way back will
:04:00. > :04:07.stop -- long way back. Most famous cricketers have had their picture
:04:08. > :04:17.taken outside that pavilion. Why did Australia can do this region so
:04:18. > :04:20.
:04:20. > :04:30.often? The and are is sheer enthusiasm for the game. They had
:04:30. > :04:31.
:04:31. > :04:41.22,000 in 1926. It was in the middle of the general strike. All the stops
:04:41. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:50.were pulled out to let the miners have a good time.
:04:50. > :04:59.The last game to be held here was in 1977. The most memorable game was in
:04:59. > :05:06.the 1940s. It was traditional that the duelling captain did play.
:05:06. > :05:16.Everybody wanted to see them. When they batted the worst three wickets
:05:16. > :05:22.
:05:22. > :05:31.down. Everybody thought Darren might defeat them. But they settle down.
:05:31. > :05:38.-- everybody thought Durham might defeat them. Nobody would ever have
:05:38. > :05:44.Trent they would be an Ashes test on this soil.
:05:44. > :05:50.Last year we had the Olympics. The hope is that bringing the Ashes to
:05:50. > :05:54.Chester-le-Street will cause an upsurge in cricket interest.
:05:54. > :06:04.That is the hope, that it will inspire more people to bring up a
:06:04. > :06:12.
:06:12. > :06:17.cricket bat. Where better to do that The big Test may be just around the
:06:17. > :06:21.corner, but these youngsters just couldn't wait to have a go. With the
:06:21. > :06:24.North East set for a summer of cricket like no other, the hope is
:06:24. > :06:27.that the Ashes can inspire a new generation.
:06:27. > :06:30.And for those that want to take their game to the next level,
:06:30. > :06:34.opportunity knocks at Durham. The club's youth set up has proved
:06:34. > :06:44.fertile ground. This season as many as eight first team players were
:06:44. > :06:44.
:06:44. > :06:54.from the local area. It is a chance to give opportunities. Everybody
:06:54. > :06:57.
:06:57. > :07:03.wins. The first team has got a fair sprinkling of lads who can develop
:07:03. > :07:06.at their own game. It hasn't always been like this.
:07:06. > :07:10.Before Durham's became a first class county in 1992, players like Geoff
:07:10. > :07:13.Cook were forced to leave the North East to pursue their careers. But
:07:13. > :07:16.these young players have grown used to having professional cricket on
:07:16. > :07:26.their doorstep. And have watched the likes of Paul Collingwood and Steve
:07:26. > :07:28.
:07:28. > :07:38.Harmison progress right to the very top. It has been brilliant. We have
:07:38. > :07:39.
:07:39. > :07:44.been able to walk down and watched the day's tickets. What could I do?
:07:44. > :07:47.What could I do better? It's been a successful formula so
:07:47. > :07:53.far for Durham. And who knows - the next Ashington Express may be
:07:53. > :08:01.already be waiting in the wings. You mentioned earlier how the rain
:08:01. > :08:10.saved the day for England at all Trafford. I am informed that the
:08:10. > :08:15.weather is set to improve this week. Heavy rain has led to localised
:08:15. > :08:19.flooding in parts of the region. A woman and a toddler were rescued
:08:19. > :08:22.from a car stuck in ford in West Cumbria. The fire service said the
:08:22. > :08:26.car had drifted in waist-high water and became lodged on a rock at Mill
:08:26. > :08:29.Hill in Cleator Moor. A man also had to be rescued from a House in
:08:29. > :08:33.Loweswater after a river burst its banks this morning. Elsewhere burst
:08:33. > :08:37.drain covers left the roads under water and around the region surface
:08:37. > :08:40.water combined with the heavy rain caused problems for drivers.
:08:40. > :08:45.A primary school teacher has admitted 23 sexual offences against
:08:45. > :08:49.children in York. Richard Oldham, who's 31 and now lives in Devon,
:08:49. > :08:51.taught in at least three primary schools in York. He admitted
:08:51. > :08:57.secretly filming children, sexual assaults on six boys and possessing
:08:57. > :09:03.more than 2,000 indecent images of children. He'll be sentenced at
:09:03. > :09:07.Leeds Crown Court next month. A football fan who made a "monkey"
:09:07. > :09:10.gesture at a player, at the Stadium of Light last season, has been
:09:10. > :09:12.banned from attending all football matches for three years. Liam Jones
:09:12. > :09:16.was also given an 18-month conditional discharge by Sunderland
:09:16. > :09:18.Magistrates. Jones, who's 22 and from Hendon in Sunderland, had
:09:18. > :09:21.repeatedly denied the offence - which happened after the Belgian
:09:21. > :09:27.striker Romelu Lukaku scored for West Bromwich Albion against the
:09:27. > :09:30.Black Cats. Jones was due to stand trial in September, but has now
:09:30. > :09:34.admitted causing racially aggravated harrassment.
:09:34. > :09:40.A charity set up by the Northumbria police officer shot by gunman Raoul
:09:40. > :09:44.Moat will not meet its target of raising �1 million. In July 2010, PC
:09:44. > :09:48.David Rathband was shot twice while sitting in his patrol car in
:09:48. > :09:51.Newcastle. Shortly after the attack, he set up the Blue Lamp Foundation -
:09:51. > :09:56.but trustees say donations have slumped. Heather Clancy has the
:09:56. > :10:00.story. Three months after he was left blind
:10:00. > :10:03.the Blue Lamp Foundation was set up by PC David Rathband. Its purpose -
:10:03. > :10:09.to help members of the emergency services who are injured during duty
:10:09. > :10:12.and to raise �1 million pounds by October this year. So far, �400,000
:10:12. > :10:22.has been raised and with October just two months away, the Foundation
:10:22. > :10:26.
:10:26. > :10:36.says the target won't be met. There has been a downturn in the
:10:36. > :10:36.
:10:37. > :10:46.nations we are receiving all-star -- there has been a reduction in the
:10:47. > :10:48.
:10:48. > :10:54.donations we are receiving. It is disappointing. After David
:10:54. > :11:04.died we made a decision to continue with the objective of raising �1
:11:04. > :11:07.
:11:07. > :11:10.million. But on reflection maybe it was a step too far.
:11:10. > :11:13.In 2011, the charity's first grant went to a paramedic in
:11:13. > :11:23.Staffordshire, who was injured when a lorry crashed into the ambulance
:11:23. > :11:25.
:11:25. > :11:29.he was driving. Blue Lamp paid for a bathroom to be fitted downstairs so
:11:29. > :11:31.he could recover at home. Since then they've given out grants to eight
:11:31. > :11:34.other people. After PC Rathband's death last year,
:11:34. > :11:37.the foundation has carried on, run by a board of trustees, including
:11:37. > :11:39.his son Ashley. Despite not meeting the �1 million
:11:40. > :11:41.target, they're encouraging members of emergency services to apply for
:11:41. > :11:45.grants and say the charity will continue.
:11:45. > :11:48.Paul Gascoigne has pleaded guilty to assaulting a railway guard and being
:11:48. > :11:51.drunk and disorderly. The charges relate to an incident at Stevenage
:11:51. > :11:53.Railway station last month, just weeks after he left rehab in the
:11:53. > :11:59.USA. Stevenage Magistrates fined the former Newcastle and Middlesbrough
:11:59. > :12:02.footballer �1,000. Berwick Bandits speedway rider Ricky Ashworth is
:12:02. > :12:06.seriously ill, but stable in intensive care, following a crash on
:12:06. > :12:10.Friday. The 31-year-old sustained severe head injuries in the match at
:12:10. > :12:13.Scunthorpe. The rest of the Berwick team voted to go ahead with
:12:13. > :12:17.Saturday's home match against Edinburgh at Shielfield Park, and
:12:17. > :12:21.dedicated their victory to their injured colleague.
:12:21. > :12:25.A major shutdown of part of the Tyne and Wear Metro system moved into
:12:25. > :12:28.full swing today. In an almost military-style operation, a huge
:12:28. > :12:32.fleet of buses has been brought in to ferry passengers around the areas
:12:32. > :12:35.of track which are being modernised - and the disruption appears to have
:12:35. > :12:43.been kept to a minimum. Jim Knight joined the commuters in Newcastle
:12:43. > :12:52.this morning. Monday morning and steady persistent
:12:52. > :12:56.rain. Throw in a little extra confusion about where to find your
:12:56. > :13:03.replacement bus and you might have expected three tempers. But guided
:13:03. > :13:08.by the staff the passengers seemed pretty relaxed. This is the first
:13:08. > :13:18.day for me. For now it is fine. they had to be repaired that is
:13:18. > :13:19.
:13:19. > :13:26.life. Everything is fine except for the weather. This is the peak of the
:13:26. > :13:31.rush-hour. Things are running smoothly. People have given extra
:13:31. > :13:34.time for their journey. Here at the Metro control centre in
:13:34. > :13:37.South Gosforth the staff are co-ordinating and facilitating the
:13:37. > :13:41.biggest modernisation programme in Metro's history.
:13:41. > :13:50.At the flick of a switch, points change, and trains can then reverse
:13:50. > :13:56.away from the areas closed off for modernisation. We are calling this
:13:56. > :14:01.mission control. We are keeping track of all the trains. The team is
:14:01. > :14:04.keeping track of what is happening on the ground.
:14:04. > :14:08.And they've already stared ripping out the old track. These rails and
:14:08. > :14:11.sleepers were first laid in 1864 by the then Blyth and Tyne Railway
:14:11. > :14:14.company - so they haven't done badly. It's all to be replaced
:14:14. > :14:21.though, and of course there will be some disruption for passengers over
:14:21. > :14:25.the next four weeks. People are organising themselves well and
:14:25. > :14:29.making use of the information that we have been providing. The buses
:14:29. > :14:32.have been organised to meet the needs of most people using the
:14:32. > :14:34.system. So far it is coming together.
:14:34. > :14:40.One consolation, when this modernisation is complete, the new
:14:40. > :14:43.track won't need replacing for at least 50 years.
:14:43. > :14:47.Seagull-proof rubbish sacks will be given to thousands of homes in
:14:47. > :14:50.Carlisle - to stop the birds ripping them open to feed on the waste
:14:50. > :14:52.inside. Carlisle City Council will also be re-introducing wheelie bin
:14:52. > :14:57.collections in some areas, after homeowners and businesses complained
:14:57. > :15:06.about the gulls' behaviour. As the birds have gone for the food,
:15:06. > :15:16.they've even attacked people - as Mark McAlindon reports.
:15:16. > :15:24.Seagulls can live for 30 years. are opportunists. They are quite
:15:24. > :15:34.intelligent animals. We have had photos sent in by members of the
:15:34. > :15:45.
:15:45. > :15:55.public. On the flat roofs of this building. These are the bin liners
:15:55. > :15:55.
:15:55. > :16:04.that people use to put out the rubbish.
:16:04. > :16:13.In this area of the city people are sick of the site of them. You could
:16:13. > :16:20.be walking down to the post office and they are diving at you. It has
:16:20. > :16:27.got worse. It is quite scary. They just die at you. There is rubbish
:16:27. > :16:34.everywhere. The city council is thinking of introducing sacks that
:16:34. > :16:41.cannot be ripped open. But will it work?
:16:41. > :16:43.Still to come tonight, Mark will be here with the sport round-up. And
:16:43. > :16:50.we'll be joining the seaside town residents who've adopted a
:16:50. > :16:56.do-it-yourself approach to cleaning up their beach.
:16:56. > :16:59.And I will have the full weather forecast later.
:16:59. > :17:05.A Teesside charity which works with victims of domestic violence has
:17:05. > :17:08.been voted one of the nation's favourites. Called: "My Sister's
:17:08. > :17:12.Place", it helps more than 1,000 women escape violence in the home
:17:12. > :17:15.every year. More than 6,000 people voted for the charity, in a ballot
:17:15. > :17:18.organised by the National Lottery. That news, and a special celebrity
:17:18. > :17:21.presentation, were kept secret from staff in Middlesbrough, until the
:17:21. > :17:24.very last moment. Peter Lugg reports.
:17:24. > :17:27.Blissfully unaware of their success in the National Lottery's good
:17:27. > :17:33.causes ballot the women of My Sister's Place got down to business
:17:33. > :17:36.as usual at the charity's Borough Road headquarters. Outside there was
:17:36. > :17:42.something of a commotion. The X Factor's Jahmene Douglas arriving
:17:42. > :17:52.with entourage to pass on the good news. When it came his interruption
:17:52. > :18:08.
:18:08. > :18:13.was entirely unexpected. You are the My Sister's Place has already
:18:13. > :18:16.received �400,000 in Lottery funding. Today's award - a public
:18:16. > :18:24.vote for the nation's favourite charity - gave further recognition
:18:24. > :18:34.to its work with over 1,000 victims of domestic violence every year.
:18:34. > :18:34.
:18:34. > :18:42.has been a validation of what we do. Jahmene - an X Factor runner up -
:18:42. > :18:48.went public on the show about his own family problems last year.
:18:48. > :18:58.have been through domestic violence myself. If you do not have funding
:18:58. > :19:02.
:19:03. > :19:05.in one area it will affect all the other areas.
:19:05. > :19:09.Today was only the start of celebrations. Charity members will
:19:09. > :19:10.appear in to a star studded Lottery television show later in the year.
:19:10. > :19:13.Peter Lugg BBC Look North Middlesbrough.
:19:13. > :19:17.Staying on Teesside, millions of pounds have been spent remodelling
:19:17. > :19:20.Redcar seafront and building a new sea wall. All well and good, but to
:19:20. > :19:23.attract much-needed visitors, the beach has to match the standard of
:19:23. > :19:33.the promenade. So today, a group of local volunteers rolled up their
:19:33. > :19:39.sleeves and took to the sands. Also there was Martin Forster.
:19:39. > :19:49.Hardly a D4 playing in the sand. As the rain fell on Redcar beach people
:19:49. > :19:49.
:19:49. > :19:54.got stuck in. This is a real picking exercise. You can see people getting
:19:54. > :19:59.things off the beach. It is fine for local residents to do that. It is
:19:59. > :20:05.exactly what we need. It lifts the spirits of the place. A lot of the
:20:05. > :20:11.rabble being removed is thought to be left over from their
:20:11. > :20:15.multi-million pound make over of the seafront. 30 million was spent on
:20:15. > :20:20.the seafront. 75 million in total with all the facilities and
:20:20. > :20:28.buildings. But they have missed a bit. We want to attract tourism onto
:20:28. > :20:38.the beach show as well as onto the seafront. What we are finding on the
:20:38. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:52.beach is brick and rubble. Is that a fossil? That is a fossil. Today's
:20:52. > :21:02.events may have been modest but its organisers have big plans. We are
:21:02. > :21:07.
:21:07. > :21:09.going to see what we can do. Time for the sport.
:21:09. > :21:12.Let's start with some football transfer news and Newcastle United,
:21:12. > :21:16.who've been tracking three different strikers this summer, hope to secure
:21:16. > :21:19.the services of at least one of them in the next 24 hours. The Magpies
:21:19. > :21:22.have agreed a season-long loan deal with relegated QPR for France
:21:22. > :21:31.international Remy, who chose West London over Tyneside during the last
:21:31. > :21:35.transfer window in January. He was due to undergo a medical today.
:21:35. > :21:38.The Football League season kicked off unusually early at the weekend.
:21:38. > :21:41.But our teams could only muster one win between them. Congratulations
:21:41. > :21:43.York City. But "must do better" our other three clubs, starting with
:21:43. > :21:48.Middlesbrough - up against last season's play-off semi-finalists
:21:48. > :21:51.Leicester. Two former Middlesbrough captains,
:21:51. > :21:57.Nigel Pearson and Tony Mowbray, the latter desperate for new additions
:21:57. > :22:00.to a wafer-thin squad on Teesside. Boro who slumped from top six to
:22:00. > :22:04.16th in the second half of last season dominated the first half
:22:04. > :22:07.against Pearson's Leciester. But crucially they only managed one goal
:22:07. > :22:12.- Lucas Jutkiewicz forcing the ball in off ex Boro loanee Shaun St
:22:12. > :22:17.Ledger. The visitors upped their Ledger. The visitors upped their
:22:17. > :22:22.game after the break. No offside flag given as Drinkwater scored on
:22:22. > :22:26.the hour. And Vardy's winner turned the game on its head to the delight
:22:26. > :22:32.of the away fans - no longer behind the goal. It could have been worse
:22:32. > :22:35.for Middlesbrough's boss - left to bemoan a disappointing start.
:22:35. > :22:37.Leicester will be among the Leicester will be among the
:22:37. > :22:43.favourites for promotion. They have got plenty of power and peace in the
:22:43. > :22:45.team. We dealt with it very well. Greg Abbott's quiet pre-season
:22:45. > :22:48.optimism was left in tatters by optimism was left in tatters by
:22:48. > :22:50.Leyton Orient, who took the lead thanks to some lax defending from a
:22:50. > :22:53.optimism was left in tatters by Leyton Orient, But the key moment
:22:53. > :22:56.was captain Lee Miller's clash with Nathan Clarke which left the Orient
:22:56. > :22:59.player unconscious and Miller - injured for most of last season -
:22:59. > :23:02.with a straight red card. The visitors went two up before new
:23:02. > :23:06.signing David Amoo gave the Cumbrians hope from the penalty
:23:06. > :23:16.spot. In the second half, though, Orient ran riot leaving the majority
:23:16. > :23:17.
:23:17. > :23:21.Orient ran riot leaving the majority of the 5,000 crowd utterly dejected.
:23:21. > :23:24.We are looking at people taking responsibility. Began players are
:23:24. > :23:27.looking for guidance and leadership from me and from the senior players
:23:27. > :23:29.from me and from the senior players on the pitch. Looking dapper before
:23:29. > :23:33.his first league game as Hartlepool on the pitch. Looking dapper before
:23:33. > :23:36.And Colin Cooper was to watch his team make a bright start to life in
:23:36. > :23:40.League Two. It was short-lived sadly. Cooper knows his team will
:23:40. > :23:43.have to improve in both penalty areas as Rochdale dished out a
:23:43. > :23:46.football lesson with three goals which showed that the new Pools
:23:46. > :23:50.management team have much to do if promotion is to be anything other
:23:50. > :23:52.than a pipe dream. Leaving the best till last, York City, who avoided
:23:52. > :23:55.relegation under the wily stewardship of Nigel Worthington.
:23:55. > :24:00.City had a goal disallowed against Northampton, who went pretty close
:24:00. > :24:05.themselves in the second half. Going down to ten men didn't help the
:24:05. > :24:07.visitors' cause. And they were made to pay in the 90th minute as the
:24:08. > :24:13.Minstermen won it. Debutant Ryan Jarvis securing York's first home
:24:13. > :24:22.victory on the opening day of a league season since 1999. Mark
:24:22. > :24:32.league season since 1999. Mark Tulip, BBC Look North.
:24:32. > :24:32.
:24:32. > :24:40.Gateshead game with then. At the World Swimming Championships
:24:40. > :24:49.sixth-place for Jemma Lowe in the medley relay.
:24:49. > :24:57.But Aimee Willmott was unable to reach the final. She missed out by a
:24:57. > :25:07.single place. Graham onions has been added to the
:25:07. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:19.squad for the fourth Ashes test. Englund's cricketers do not mind
:25:19. > :25:25.Englund's cricketers do not mind rain.
:25:25. > :25:35.How is it looking over the next few days? There is a weather warning in
:25:35. > :25:50.
:25:50. > :25:55.place for further heavy rain across associated with thunderstorms. They
:25:55. > :26:00.will be cleaning away overnight tonight. The rain will be
:26:00. > :26:10.commuting. It will be dry after dark. First thing tonight there will
:26:10. > :26:27.
:26:27. > :26:30.be heavy outbreaks of rain. A if summer has returned. Through the
:26:30. > :26:36.afternoon it will become more cloudy. There may be one or two
:26:36. > :26:46.isolated showers. Tomorrow's temperatures are average for this
:26:46. > :26:51.
:26:51. > :26:59.time of year. Temperatures West words are similar to those in the
:26:59. > :27:09.East. Still a pretty good day to come with high pressure from
:27:09. > :27:20.
:27:20. > :27:28.tomorrow keeping things more settled and Thursday. One or two isolated