17/10/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

dual fuel customers will go up by more than 9%. That is all from

Hello and welcome to Thursday's Look North. Tonight. On the march `

teachers walk out closing hundreds of schools across the North.

Cyber shock ` how children as young as seven meet strangers they've

befriended on the internet. We've an exclusive report.

You will be caught! The message from the police to a hoaxer whose call

shut down a town centre. And we go behind the scenes of

Paradise ` the BBC drama full of romance, revenge and retail.

In sport ` Newcastle Utd spearhead a campaign for cheaper tickets for

travelling fans ` but it won't stop a supporters' protest ahead of

Saturday's game. And ` on your marks, get set, go ` we look ahead

to a big weekend of motor sport at the Croft Circuit in North

Yorkshire. It's been a difficult day for many

parents across our region who've had to make alternative childcare

arrangements. Classrooms across the North fell silent because of

industrial action by teaching unions. In time and we are at least

471 skills were affected and in Cumbria at least 75 when involved.

The government condemned the strike.

The school day has been and gone here and like all those schools you

mention there were no children or learning. We did not see any picket

lines but instead teachers came here to Durham city for a rally demanding

the government changes its plans. No classes to teach Saudi staff took to

the streets instead. I am just angry at the way teachers have been

treated. We were told they were unprofessional. No flags on the

whole, please. Joe Waddle was marshalling the union throats while

his younger brother was becoming a football legend. He fears for the

profession. Teachers are becoming more stressed than the wages are

falling behind other jobs because we are not getting pay rises. Generally

speaking, the workload is going up and protections are being stripped

away and teaching is becoming a neglected job. The government says

introducing performance related pay allows headteachers to reward the

best teachers directly and it says only a minority actually voted in

favour of strike action. There has been a very solid time out here.

Ostensibly this protest was about pay and pensions but for many there

is general discontent. These changes are being pushed from the top

without any thought as to what professionals say and now is best.

The strike now over, the banners are laid down but not the cause and

another strike as possible before Christmas. It was noticeable that

some teachers took their children with them but for others that was a

difficult day of arranging childcare. Not all schools closed.

Stephanie Cleasby reports now from one school on Wearside where

everyone turned up for work because they agree with the Government's

plans. A year five maths lesson ` it's

business as usual at Grange Park Primary in Sunderland. The

headteacher told her 25 staff to make a choice over whether to go on

strike ` all of them decided not to. She agrees with the Education

Secretary's proposals, particularly performance`related pay. The overall

feeling is that teachers should be paid for how good they are, not how

old they are. We are probably in the minority but the situation we are

then as we do not have any teachers not performing at the top of the

game so we do not have any difficult people perceived as log jamming some

of the jobs. In Middlesbrough, parents affected by the strike who

were unable to arrange childcare were able to take their children to

an activity centre. I think it's quite unfair that some children get

to go off school and some do not. I do not like going to school and I

would prefer being off. Schools out for thousands because the teachers

are taking part in the strike action meaning many had to make alternative

arrangements including taking the day off themselves. I have had to

take the day off work to look after them. You can take them out for the

strike but not for holidays and things which I do not think his

fear. `` ends there. I think it is good because you get a day off. Last

week, they were a bit upset. We actually had not been putting

something on but after so many phone calls we felt we should. It gets the

teachers a chance to fight for what they want and what they think is

right. Back at Grange Park Primary, after a busy morning learning ` it's

lunchtime. These children have been unaffected by today's strike, but

plans for a national one`day walk`out before Christmas have also

been announced by the unions. At least some children were happy

but the government is adamant the strike was unnecessary? The word

from the Department for Education was that this strike action was

disappointing. The government has also pointed out that only a

minority of teachers voted in favour of walking out because when the

turned out, many teachers did not actually vote. There has also been

criticism of disrupting children's education. The government has

mentioned the disruption to parents we have been talking about, having

to arrange childcare, and on that point they warned unless there's a

meeting of minds there's the risk of more strike action before

Christmas. ? Police say they're treating the

death of a man whose body was found in Carlisle as unexplained, but not

suspicious. The police were called to Currock Road in Carlisle just

after 11 o'clock yesterday morning after the body was found by a member

of the public. The man has not yet been identified.

A North East water park has closed after going into administration.

Managers at Wet 'N Wild, in North Shields, which opened in 1993, have

called in Price Waterhouse Coopers as administrators. They say the site

had operated at a profit for much of the year but faced cash`flow issues

going into the winter. Most of the 69 staff are being made redundant

and a buyer is being sought. A woman's been arrested in North

Yorkshire as part of an ongoing national corruption investigation.

The 45`year`old public official was arrested in Malton as part of

Operation Elveden which is investigating alleged corrupt

payments by journalists for information. The woman was arrested

on suspicion of misconduct in public office and conspiracy to cause

misconduct in public office. Children as young as seven are

meeting up with strangers following conversations on the internet. In

just five primary schools in Middlesbrough ` 92 children admitted

meeting people after communicating with them online. And the majority

of children between seven and nine said they saw no problems with it.

One North East charity has described the figures as extremely worrying.

Stuart Whincup has this exclusive report.

Ashleigh Hall was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a man she met on the

internet. Her family hoped her tragic death would serve as a

warning to other young girls. But four years on, it says it knows of

nearly 100 children in Middlesbrough who've met up with strangers, after

speaking online. It is very worrying. It takes many months and

years to form friendships and children are making friendships

overnight by speaking to people online and thinking it is safe. Some

of these people are not children at all and some could be sex offenders.

A rise in internet abuse has seen Cleveland Police set up its own

Sexual Exploitation Unit, covering a huge area of offences. It can be

photographs of young girls, often not dressed at all. The acts are

often of a sexual nature but sometimes violence is taking place

between adults and young people and people are watching life. I do not

know how anybody would want to do that or watch it but we will find

those people. But it's not just adults. Barnardo's says it's had a

number of cases where school children have posted inappropriate

pictures of other children online. They will send sexualised pictures

to a friend or boyfriend or girlfriend and that gets passed on

to their friends and then it is out of control. The young person will

then not go to school because they are being bullied so they get

victimised twice. The rapid advances in technology often leave the

authorities playing catch up. And still many children are completely

unaware of who is really hiding behined the computer screen. ``

behind. More than 600 jobs are likely to be

lost at Cumbria County Council over the next three years as the

authority tries to balance its books. Despite three years of cuts,

the council must save a further ?80 million. Today it unveiled its

proposals for meeting those targets, including job losses, cuts to the

fire service and a probable rise in the council tax. Mark McAlindon is

in our Cumbria newsroom now. Mark, how difficult will this be for the

county council? There's no question it's going to be extremely

difficult, Jeff. In the last three years hundreds of jobs have already

been lost and big savings made. But what we're talking about here is the

next three years and the ?80 million of further savings that the county

council will have to make. Inevitably, that means more people

will lose their jobs ` the authority admits that means more than 600 will

have to go. The question is, can the council maintain services and lose

jobs? I believe we can. It is not going to be easy and it will not be

something we relish but the fact of the matter is we cannot make these

sort of statements without losing staff. `` sort of savings. It is a

labour intensive operation and it is not possible to do this without

employing fewer people. Mark, can you tell us what stays and what

goes? Well, the council says it has a list of services it won't cut.

Things like elderly care or children's services like children's

centres or its support to credit unions and advice agencies. So,

where do cuts come from? Well, staff reorganisation will continue, for

example, cutting down on senior management. The council is also

suggesting increasing the council tax by two per cent, to raise ?1.8

million. The tax has been frozen for four years, so that will be like

asking people to pay more for less in return. They say it is reasonable

to ask people if they will pay more to reduce the cuts, however small an

amount. But there will be other cuts and new charges. The council

suggests cutting travel subsidies for people over 16 in education, it

may charge for on street parking and for residents parking permits. Those

ideas have proved controversial and unpopular in the past, so it will be

interesting to see how these ideas go down among the wider public now.

There are also suggestions that the number of fire engines at certain

stations in west Cumbria for example, will be cut back to save

half a million pounds. The council says the number of fires has reduced

in the last ten years and that safety can be maintained despite

cutbacks. How has this news been received? I've spoken to Unison, the

trade union, and they gave us this statement as no`one was available

for interview. Unison will be speaking to our members and stewards

during this consultation process. What we are aiming for is absolute

fairness across the board, to have as many posts as possible, and for

the council to maximise employment opportunities. We want good

community services and a good and vibrant local economy. The

government says every part of the public sector has to do their part

to reduce the deficit. Thank you. The pizza shop workers detained by

armed officers in a massive police anti`terror operation in

Knaresborough say they're considering legal action.

The men were victims of a hoax call to police, and say they've been

scared and humiliated by the incident. North Yorkshire Police say

they're now trying to find out who's behind the hoax which led to the

town centre being sealed off for four hours last night. Ian White

reports. It was more like New York and Milan

Knaresborough but this live phone footage shows dramatic pictures of

armed police surrounding a car and the detaining suspects at gunpoint.

They were only workers from a local pizza shop and the victims of a hoax

call and they found it a frightening and humiliating experience. I was

taken to the police station and they searched me and I cannot explain it.

It was really uncomfortable. Today there was no apology from North

Yorkshire police and they say the men were not arrested but merely

stopped to help web enquiries. We deployed armed officers because of

the information we had been given. We'd detailing the men based on the

instructions and took them aside for their own safety. The drama unfolded

outside the shop on Knaresborough high Street. You can see on a normal

day just hope busy their street normally has so you can imagine the

disruption that caused. 300 children at a local school were locked inside

their building for their safety. We were not told what was going on so

there was some anxiety but we locked the doors. Local people angered by

the hoax posted messages of support to the shop and on social media

networks. It appears it was just one hoax are trying to have an attack at

them in some way. The police have launched an investigation to try to

find out who was responsible and the shop owners say they are seeking

legal advice. Now, it's all about romance revenge,

and retail! BBC TV drama The Paradise ended on a cliffhanger. But

it's back. With nearly six million viewers, it's one of the biggest

dramas to be filmed in the north east in recent years. And in

tonight's Look North report, we go behind the scenes. Our entertainment

reporter Sharuna Sagar has been to the set in County Durham to find out

what happens next and to meet some of the characters.

And just when Catherine Glendenning thinks she's got her man. Finally

some gratification for fans in the last episode. The audience

immediately after eight weeks of well`being, one the... It was a

great end to a turbulent series. Catherine gets jilted and I suspect

there will be hell to pay. The cast and crew of the period drama have

just finished five months of filming. The castle has been turned

into the Paradise, England's first department store and the set is more

opulent than ever. We have the searched the period and everything

we have bought, we have made sure that is absolutely correct.

Attention to detail and the colour and scale of things makes for a good

six. Is that what sets us apart from other shows? The scale of this is

huge with ten massive rooms and the arts Department have been fantastic

and have not stopped. Exhausting! But not as emotionally exhausting as

the love triangle storyline which now has a new cast member who you

may recognise. I allowed to this? He also has a big secret, doesn't he?

He has a huge secret but I will not tell you what it is! I get a private

tour of the most glamorous department of the store. This is one

of the rooms of lead easily and we have displays where the customers

can come in and take a look at everything on offer but this is

quite separate `` separates all private conversations can take

place. They can have their public face on here. Certainly getting more

exposure now is this 14`year`old actor. I got the audition a few

years ago and I thought, this is massive but it is really good to be

set in the north`east, to get jobs appear. I can pop home just 20

minutes away. And the new series of The Paradise

starts on BBC One this Sunday at 8pm.

Newcastle United are spearheading a campaign to reduce ticket prices for

Premier League games. They've invited other top flight clubs to

agree to a deal which would see Newcastle fans get discounted

tickets for away games while away fans travelling to St James Park

would get the same discount. Swansea and West Brom have already signed up

to the deal. It means Magpies fans travelling to the Hawthorns would

pay ?15 instead of ?39 they paid last season. Concessionary tickets

would cost just ?5. But it seems the scheme isn't enough to keep everyone

happy. Back in 2008, after Kevin Keegan

left the club for the third and, probably, final time, the fans took

to the streets in protest. Their anger was aimed chiefly at United

owner Mike Ashley. Fast forward five years, and some would claim not much

has changed. To show their frustration, a number of supporters'

groups have got together to organise a protest march through the city,

ahead of Saturday's home game with Liverpool. What we are hoping is

that many Newcastle fans turn up, whether they attend or have drifted

away through disillusionment. It is an opportunity for everyone to come

forward and be included in a peaceful march for solidarity to say

it is time for change. Meeting up at 10.30, outside the City Hall in

Northumberland road, the organisers plan to march past St James's Park,

before a rally in Leazes Park ahead of kick`off. The symbolism goes

further than that. We are asking people to bring hankies along to

wave them when the players run on. On the continent, that means the

fans are not happy with the regime. This is nothing to do with the team

or the team manager but the regime being overseen by Mike Ashley. And

if Mike Ashley did leave, who would they like to see take over? I think

that is a discussion for a later date. Right now, the most important

thing is getting the fans back together with a united voice and

calling for change. We want things to change. Mike Ashley needs to know

that the fans are not happy and we have one united voice again and we

will take to the streets and do what is necessary.

Good news for Sunderland fans ahead of new Head Coach Gus Poyet's first

game in charge. The Uraguyan confirmed today that striker Steven

Fletcher is back in the squad to face Swansea after recovering

earlier than expected from a shoulder injury. Meanwhile a player

frozen out of the first team picture after falling foul of Paolo di

Canio's regime has been offered an olive branch by the Italian's

successor. Full`back Phil Bardsley has had the slate wiped clean after

a late`night casino visit and an ill`judged comment on social media.

We need to focus on players who want to be there and he has one of those

players and I am sure he will help us a lot. I will give him a chance.

It is important we try hard to forget about that and see how he

reacts. I hope you can be one of the best players here.

Former Sunderland defender Pascal Chimbonda could be offered a short

term contract with Carlisle Utd. Carlisle boss Graham Kavanagh played

alongside Chimbonda during their time together at the Stadium of

Light, and the 34`year`old ex`France international has been training with

the Cumbrians. Chimbonda has been turning out for non`league side

Market Drayton to stay fit after leaving Doncaster Rovers last year.

Here there's one for motor sport fans because these supercars are

coming. One of the biggest weekends in the region's motor racing

calendar than the organisers are promising a double bill to the

member. Saturday sees the final round of the British rallycross

championship followed by the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

He drives a bus for a loving but his real passion is rallycross. After

racing all over Britain and Europe this season he is looking forward to

the finale on his home circuit. In rallying, the cards can have 300

brake horsepower. Twice as much speed of the start. It is a very

good sport to watch. All the rallycross circuit is in the UK are

in the south so what is the only chance northerners get to see the

sport. While many cameras will be on the racing, one competitor will also

be putting on a stunt show on Sunday. He first entertained the

crowds on a garden tractor in 1986 at just seven years old. I normally

drive for top gear and we do stunt shows all around the world. `` Top

Gear. In terms of raw acceleration these are the fastest cars you will

see all year and usually get a sense of what 600 brake horsepower and is

all about. That is about four times more than the average road car.

Time for the weather. It is looking very clear tonight in

parts of the region. This means a hard when terrorism and store but

tonight the clear skies means Folgers forming. `` fog is forming.

Fog will be forming in low`lying areas and it could be lingering. To

my old for Frost with temperatures around eight Celsius. First thing

tomorrow, all for much of the York region which will clear but showers

will be affecting the region later in the day. Cumbria is the first to

see the showers and they are never far away. It will be shown only in

the West and across the Pennines, 14 Celsius the hide. Temperatures above

average for this time of year despite the distinct lack of

sunshine. Continuing to lean across the region and wet on Saturday for

most of us with the lane heaviest in the West and a really wet afternoon

in Carlisle. Feeling pleasantly mild.

You are not joining me for the late news? Goodbye.