:00:15. > :00:23.. Hello, welcome to Look North. Coming
:00:24. > :00:27.up in the programme tonight... Driven to despair. Claims that
:00:28. > :00:29.record numbers of farmers in the North are struggling with debt and
:00:30. > :00:32.depression. Also tonight, home safe. Hundreds of
:00:33. > :00:34.soldiers reunited with their families after a six`month tour in
:00:35. > :00:38.Afghanistan. But not all of them are so lucky. We
:00:39. > :00:41.meet the former soldier, fighting back from hard times, thanks to help
:00:42. > :00:44.from a charity funded by the poppy appeal.
:00:45. > :00:47.And we have all heard about leaves on the line, but how about low rail
:00:48. > :00:51.adhesion? Well, it is afflicting one of our main transport links, so we
:00:52. > :00:54.have been finding out what they are doing about it.
:00:55. > :00:56.In sport, we meet the American striker determined to kick`start
:00:57. > :00:58.Sunderland's season with his first Premier League goal.
:00:59. > :01:19.And Newcastle take Manchester city the distance, but bow out of the
:01:20. > :01:23.League Cup in extra time. To many, the idea of escaping to the
:01:24. > :01:26.country and making a living from farming the land is an unattainable
:01:27. > :01:29.dream, but increasing numbers of people living that dream say it is
:01:30. > :01:32.turning into a nightmare. According to one charity, a record
:01:33. > :01:35.number of farmers across Yorkshire, the North East and Cumbria are
:01:36. > :01:40.depressed and in serious debt. Calls to the charity's helpline have
:01:41. > :01:43.increased by 100%. In some cases, farmers are even receiving help to
:01:44. > :01:46.feed their families. The latest problems have been blamed on the
:01:47. > :01:56.atrocious weather that hit the region last year and again this
:01:57. > :02:06.spring. An idyllic place to live or bleak isolation? Here, on the North
:02:07. > :02:13.Yorkshire Brewers, a farmer can be very different to what most of us
:02:14. > :02:16.imagine. In April of this year, snowdrifts brought chaos to several
:02:17. > :02:28.parts of Yorkshire and the North East. Six months on, the farmer is
:02:29. > :02:35.still feeling the effect is. He got an unexpected bill this year of
:02:36. > :02:41.?15,000. It is the difference to profit and loss. If we are and loss,
:02:42. > :02:47.we find difficulty to feed our families. Many families are very
:02:48. > :02:53.isolated and of the short of money, are apart proud people and they will
:02:54. > :03:01.just bottle it up and struggle with it. Many farmers are showing signs
:03:02. > :03:06.of stress and depression. The number of farmers needing help this year
:03:07. > :03:16.has gone up significantly, with Colts to one help centre going up by
:03:17. > :03:24.100%. Rising debt has been an issue as financial hand`outs to farmers
:03:25. > :03:33.increasing by 300%. A local minister has responsibility for several
:03:34. > :03:36.parishes in North Yorkshire. A food bank has just opened in Malton and I
:03:37. > :03:42.know that there are people up in the deals who are depending no one type
:03:43. > :03:49.of food support. It may look lovely, but there are problems. And growing
:03:50. > :03:55.concerns are also been raised for the welfare of the waves of farmers,
:03:56. > :04:01.with many more taking on more responsibility for the financial
:04:02. > :04:06.survival of the farm. It is a lonely existence. You are protecting your
:04:07. > :04:11.husband from the financial stress of what is going on in the business.
:04:12. > :04:15.You keep it to yourself because you do not want to worry him, because he
:04:16. > :04:21.already is worrying about the animals and crops. One of the
:04:22. > :04:28.welfare officer says he was dealing with two of the farmers a month last
:04:29. > :04:36.year, now he is seen to our three farmers a week. They will always
:04:37. > :04:42.feed the cattle first and that is why the household budget often comes
:04:43. > :04:46.up under pressure. To feed a growing population, 60,000 new farmers need
:04:47. > :04:52.to be found over the next decade. But with rising debts, stress and
:04:53. > :04:59.depression, many feel it is a target which will be very hard to achieve.
:05:00. > :05:06.A former police officer broke down in tears today, as he denied raping
:05:07. > :05:09.and sexually assaulting a woman. 37`year`old Wayne Scott is alleged
:05:10. > :05:16.to have attacked the woman on Teesside in 2006 and 2007. However,
:05:17. > :05:23.he has admitted raping another woman seven times in a separate incident.
:05:24. > :05:30.Stuart Whincup sent this report from Newcastle Crown Court. The alleged
:05:31. > :05:35.victim said she had tried to fight him off as he sexually assaulted
:05:36. > :05:39.her. But the former police officer said that was not true. He said he
:05:40. > :05:44.had never forced himself on the women. He said she had never made
:05:45. > :05:48.any complaint allegation against them and he said he had never
:05:49. > :05:54.physically confronted her. He was then asked directly, did you rate
:05:55. > :06:03.the women and Healy Pike, no, I did not. He is facing three charges of
:06:04. > :06:08.rape, attempted rape and serious assault.
:06:09. > :06:11.A pedestrian, who was killed after a collision with an ambulance in
:06:12. > :06:15.Northumberland, has been named as Eric Shaw, who was 70 and from
:06:16. > :06:17.Lincolnshire. Mr Shaw died after the incident on the A1 at Haggerston on
:06:18. > :06:20.Tuesday night. There has been disruption in
:06:21. > :06:23.Carlisle this evening because of a motorway lorry crash. The M6
:06:24. > :06:31.northbound was closed and cars and lorries diverted through the city.
:06:32. > :06:34.The HGV had crashed through the central reservation between
:06:35. > :06:37.junctions 43 and 44, shutting all three lanes. Emergency services are
:06:38. > :06:39.working to clear the debris. Meanwhile, rail passengers using the
:06:40. > :06:42.west coast mainline through Cumbria are being promised more reliable
:06:43. > :06:45.services, with new targets, to reduce the number of delays. Some of
:06:46. > :06:49.the county's level crossings could also be closed or improved under a
:06:50. > :06:52.new five`year plan, which will see a target of nine out of ten trains,
:06:53. > :06:57.travelling through Cumbria, running on time. By 2019, fewer than three
:06:58. > :07:00.trains in 100 should be hit by "severe disruption", which means
:07:01. > :07:08.either cancellations or delays of more than 30 minutes.
:07:09. > :07:12.It is becoming a familiar scene, but that does not mean it is not still
:07:13. > :07:16.so important to the soldiers and families involved. This lunchtime,
:07:17. > :07:19.hundreds of troops were honoured on their return to North Yorkshire
:07:20. > :07:25.after six months serving in Afghanistan. The troops, from five
:07:26. > :07:31.Medical Regiment, were presented with their operational medals at a
:07:32. > :07:36.ceremony at Catterick Garrison. As more and more troops were withdrawn
:07:37. > :07:43.from Afghanistan, today was about welcoming back members of five
:07:44. > :07:53.Medical Regiment Avenue 36 to of Afghanistan. Today has been really
:07:54. > :07:56.important, both to say thank you to the soldiers for all of the efforts
:07:57. > :08:04.in Afghanistan and a thank you to the families. The families had an
:08:05. > :08:16.emotional day welcoming back the troops. It has been so emotional. We
:08:17. > :08:24.have from Liverpool and he joined the cadet force when he was 14. It
:08:25. > :08:30.is a sunset into and it is always a worry, but we know the outlook
:08:31. > :08:35.after. This is my nephew. I thought he would be a lot worse about the
:08:36. > :08:43.time flew by. Lots of fun activities have been at here and it is much
:08:44. > :08:51.deserved after the serious business of a long tour in Afghanistan. We
:08:52. > :08:56.have had a lot of support from our unit, so it has been very good. The
:08:57. > :09:07.work of the medical corps is absolutely vital in the front line.
:09:08. > :09:11.They provide medical and trauma care at the front line, bringing
:09:12. > :09:16.casualties back to the hospital at camp Bastian, query support them
:09:17. > :09:22.further. After all the fun and games, the reunited families can
:09:23. > :09:26.enjoy some much`needed rest and relaxation.
:09:27. > :09:29.Good to see them back, safe and well. Now, staying with the
:09:30. > :09:38.military, around 4,000 members of the British Armed Forces retire from
:09:39. > :09:43.the services each year. Most will slip into civilian life without a
:09:44. > :09:45.problem. But others will struggle to adapt, because they suffer from
:09:46. > :09:49.mental health problems or physical disabilities. Now, a new project has
:09:50. > :09:55.been launched on Tyneside which uses gardening to help war veterans come
:09:56. > :09:59.to terms with everyday life. It is one of only two of its kind in the
:10:00. > :10:05.country and it is been funded with money from the Poppy Appeal. .
:10:06. > :10:11.He fought in Northern Ireland and the Falklands War. Experiences that
:10:12. > :10:27.sewed the seeds of his biggest battle. It just seemed to play in my
:10:28. > :10:36.mind. It eventually caught up with me and that almost all me to
:10:37. > :10:39.suicide. I did not think there was anything there for me, so I ended up
:10:40. > :10:45.taking drugs and becoming an alcoholic. .
:10:46. > :10:47.Tim has now recovered from his addictions, but post`traumatic
:10:48. > :10:51.stress syndrome still casts a shadow. That is why he has become
:10:52. > :10:54.involved in a brand`new scheme in Gateshead called Down to Earth,
:10:55. > :10:56.which aims to help war veterans The charity Thrive believes gardening
:10:57. > :10:59.can help disabled ex`military personnel adapt to civilian life,
:11:00. > :11:10.whether their illness is mental or physical. We really needed something
:11:11. > :11:13.to have a positive effect on the lives. It is something they can look
:11:14. > :11:18.forward to every week. They maybe have a routine that they never
:11:19. > :11:24.really have anything to look forward to in life, and we all know what
:11:25. > :11:30.that is like. It is helping you get motivated, helping you get onside.
:11:31. > :11:36.It is getting qualifications and working as a team. We are working
:11:37. > :11:42.with other people as well, so we're getting a lot of satisfaction. It is
:11:43. > :11:46.therapy, as well. . And the project does not just help
:11:47. > :11:54.the gardeners, it will benefit many others. It may look like a muddy
:11:55. > :12:08.field at the moment, but next year, this will be a garden of remembrance
:12:09. > :12:12.for service personnel. A great idea. .
:12:13. > :12:16.Still to come in tonight's Look North, a new name for an old problem
:12:17. > :12:19.that comes around every autumn. . And ladies and gentlemen, Elvis is
:12:20. > :12:23.back in the building. Playwright Lee Hall brings his first big hit back
:12:24. > :12:30.to the theatre where it all started, for a birthday celebration. And what
:12:31. > :12:36.will the weather hold for everyone going out on Halloween celebrations
:12:37. > :12:39.tonight? . Now, what is your favourite reason
:12:40. > :12:45.for having your travel plans disrupted? Wind? Snow? Fog? Leaves
:12:46. > :12:48.on the line? Well, If you've been watching or listening to our travel
:12:49. > :12:52.bulletins this week, you might have heard talk of "low rail adhesion"
:12:53. > :12:55.causing problems on the Tyne and Wear Metro. We didn't know what low
:12:56. > :13:01.rail adhesion meant either, so we sent Damian O'Neil to investigate. .
:13:02. > :13:13.I know what you're thinking. How can this cause so many problems? It is
:13:14. > :13:16.commonly caused trees on the line, because it causes a lack of friction
:13:17. > :13:21.between the wheels and the lying itself. .
:13:22. > :13:24.To illustrate the problem, Phil has provided a machine that measures
:13:25. > :13:34.friction He has also brought some washing`up liquid. We use this piece
:13:35. > :13:44.of equipment, which is measuring the coefficient of the friction. Not
:13:45. > :13:57..35. So, that is an ideal reading? Yes. That is what they pay me for.
:13:58. > :14:06.So, we just spread it, we have no manufactured some level like of
:14:07. > :14:11.adhesion. We have now gone down to not .25. That is the pure real
:14:12. > :14:22.condition. That is the equivalent of what leaves would do? Yes. This is
:14:23. > :14:30.the latest thing we have, a four`wheel drive to go on the line.
:14:31. > :14:37.Once this has passed, we deploy some solvent and this cleans the head of
:14:38. > :14:50.the real. So this is happening every night? At least you do not need the
:14:51. > :14:54.steering wheel! To the Airport? No! In an ideal world, Nexus would have
:14:55. > :14:58.a fleet of these cars, instead of just one, but they say on a small
:14:59. > :15:09.network like this, the cost would not be justified. This has become
:15:10. > :15:14.part of the British psyche, the number of excuses about why trains
:15:15. > :15:25.are not running? But we actually do try our best, but we understand the
:15:26. > :15:30.frustrations of the customers. This is the latest sequel being added to
:15:31. > :15:39.the armoury of weapons in the battle against leaves on the line. But
:15:40. > :15:45.there is no magic solution. So, that is how it is done. .
:15:46. > :15:48.And here is advance warning of more potential travel problems, because
:15:49. > :15:52.one of the main crossings over the River Tyne is in line for major
:15:53. > :15:55.works next month. It is 20 years since Scotswood Bridge last had a
:15:56. > :15:58.significant face`lift. Drivers are being warned of overnight closures
:15:59. > :16:06.from Monday ahead of a four`month programme of repairs which Gateshead
:16:07. > :16:09.Council says are essential. I date you are looking forward to that.
:16:10. > :16:11.It's Tyneside playwright Lee Hall's breakthrough production and it's
:16:12. > :16:18.finally returned home after being staged all over the world. Cooking
:16:19. > :16:21.with Elvis, the surreal outrageous story of a family coping with a
:16:22. > :16:25.paralysed Dad, began life at Newcastle's Live Theatre 15 years
:16:26. > :16:28.ago. But now the writer who brought us Billy Eliot and The Pitman
:16:29. > :16:29.Painters has revived the comedy to mark the Live Theatre's 40th
:16:30. > :16:55.anniversary celebrations. It is risky. It has got a lot of sex
:16:56. > :17:07.in it, it has got a lot of jokes in and it has Elvis songs. The seminal
:17:08. > :17:12.production. It seemed to be a great birthday gift.
:17:13. > :17:15.Since it premiered here at Live Theatre in 1988, the play has
:17:16. > :17:22.performed everywhere from Iceland to Korea to Buenos Aires to Cuba! It's
:17:23. > :17:24.now enjoying a revival in Newcastle. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis is back
:17:25. > :17:37.in the building. .
:17:38. > :17:51.And back as the paraplegic impersonator is Wallsend actor Joe
:17:52. > :17:56.Caffrey. I was not sure whether I wanted to go back to it, since it
:17:57. > :18:01.had been such a huge hit in the West End. But at the end of the day, the
:18:02. > :18:06.temptation to get on everything again, I could not refuse it.
:18:07. > :18:08.Playing his daughter Jill is Victoria Bewick from Gateshead, who
:18:09. > :18:19.is making her professional stage debut. It is just such a
:18:20. > :18:24.well`written play. For my first job to be doing a character like this, I
:18:25. > :18:29.did not have asked for more of a challenge, more excitement. It is
:18:30. > :18:32.really a brilliant experience. Cooking with Elvis is Lee Hall's
:18:33. > :18:45.most produced work, Even overtaking his award winning hits .The Pitman
:18:46. > :18:52.Painters and Billy Elliot. A screenplay is or your babies? Is
:18:53. > :18:59.this your favourite child? No, you do not have a favourite child! I
:19:00. > :19:04.have a great affection for it. It always has a huge reaction from the
:19:05. > :19:07.audience. I love watching the audiences, rather than watching the
:19:08. > :19:16.play, because obviously I know what happens. I like the roller`coaster
:19:17. > :19:21.the go on. Have you ever tried Tantric sex, Sting does it for ten
:19:22. > :19:25.hours at a time. And if this report has whet your
:19:26. > :19:34.appetite....the run continues at Live Theatre until 23rd November. I
:19:35. > :19:41.saw it about ten years ago, it is fantastic. But prepare to be
:19:42. > :19:43.shocked, just a little warning! The Newcastle manager Alan Pardew had
:19:44. > :19:47.talked pre`match of "winning a trophy for the fans." Well it won't
:19:48. > :19:51.be the League Cup this season as Manchester city beat the Magpies for
:19:52. > :19:54.the ninth time in a row to reach the quarterfinals. It wasn't plain
:19:55. > :19:59.sailing, though, and it was a long night! You can usually assess a
:20:00. > :20:03.manager's priorities by the number of changes he makes for domestic cup
:20:04. > :20:06.ties. Ten for city and five for Newcastle with Alan Pardew keen to
:20:07. > :20:09.reach the last eight but aware his owner will be closely monitoring the
:20:10. > :20:12.Premier League home game against Chelsea on Saturday. Papiss Cisse,
:20:13. > :20:27.who didn't start the derby defeat on Wearside went close early on. And
:20:28. > :20:30.it's fair to say that the home side probably deserved a first half lead
:20:31. > :20:34.after carving out decent chances, even getting the ball in the net
:20:35. > :20:36.only for Shola Ameobi to be ruled offside. City showed more urgency
:20:37. > :20:40.after the break, although with United keeper Tim Krul stranded ex
:20:41. > :20:43.Magpie James Milner should have done better here. And Negredo was denied
:20:44. > :20:46.by Krul, when HE might have done better too. But the game's defining
:20:47. > :20:49.moment came early in extra`time. Do you blame Cisse or praise England
:20:50. > :20:53.keeper Joe Hart's replacement Costel Pantilimon? And if you don't take
:20:54. > :20:59.your chances against the top, top teams this is what happens. Knife
:21:00. > :21:03.though butter time as Dzeko set up Negredo to brake the deadlock. And
:21:04. > :21:06.with the home side flagging, Dzeko finished off the move of the match
:21:07. > :21:09.to pile just a little bit more pressure on Pardew, who felt City's
:21:10. > :21:17.introduction of David Silva changed the game. He was still talking a
:21:18. > :21:21.good story, though. I do not think any of the fans could be our
:21:22. > :21:25.performance. A couple of chances that could have fallen for as did
:21:26. > :21:28.note. Of course for Sunderland to build on Sunday's Wear`Tyne derby
:21:29. > :21:42.success, they need some of their new recruits to raise their game. There
:21:43. > :21:48.are signs that USA striker Jozy Altidore may be starting to find his
:21:49. > :21:51.feet in the Premier League. But will his first goal in England's top
:21:52. > :21:55.flight come against former club Hull city this weekend? Sunderland's USA
:21:56. > :21:59.international striker has been scoring for fun for his country but
:22:00. > :22:02.only has one League Cup goal to show for his ten competitive matches
:22:03. > :22:08.since a six and a half million pounds summer move from Holland. But
:22:09. > :22:11.after playing HIS part in the Black Cats' dramatic derby win, Jozy
:22:12. > :22:13.Altidore is excited about the possibility of forming a successful
:22:14. > :22:24.partnership with the likes of Scotland striker Steven Fletcher. I
:22:25. > :22:30.would hope so. It is just a matter of getting on the pitch, because
:22:31. > :22:34.there are a lot of good players. If I can play with Steven Fletcher, I
:22:35. > :22:40.would love to, because he is a good player. It would be nice. Saturday's
:22:41. > :22:43.opponents are Hull city, managed by ex Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, and
:22:44. > :22:52.a club where the 23`year`old spent a short loan spell four years ago. It
:22:53. > :23:00.was up and down. The club was a bit out of sorts them, but the fans were
:23:01. > :23:07.fantastic. That was a huge plus. It was a difficult place to play at the
:23:08. > :23:12.time for everybody, however. When you talk to him and see him in
:23:13. > :23:18.training, you can see how much he enjoys winning in training and in
:23:19. > :23:26.any competition. It shows he is soon going to score his first goal very
:23:27. > :23:28.soon. One piece of transfer news. Out of favour midfielder David
:23:29. > :23:32.Vaughan today joined Championship club Nottingham Forest on loan. The
:23:33. > :23:35.cricket season may have finished a month ago, but there was still one
:23:36. > :23:39.important matter for Durham's players to tend to. They've been to
:23:40. > :23:42.Buckingham Palace to meet Prince Philip and receive the championship
:23:43. > :23:46.trophy and winner's medals. The Duke of Edinburgh was one of the founding
:23:47. > :23:50.members of the Lord's Taverners, which is the world's largest cricket
:23:51. > :23:53.charity. And for the last 30 years it has been traditional for the
:23:54. > :23:55.county champions to travel to London for a reception at The Lord's
:23:56. > :24:04.Taverner's Headquarters in Buckingham Place, followed by an
:24:05. > :24:08.official reception with The Duke. These are great days. These are the
:24:09. > :24:13.days you remember for the rest of your life. You have to pinch
:24:14. > :24:17.yourself sometimes. All of the boys aren't thrilled to be here. They
:24:18. > :24:30.thoroughly deserved to celebrate in this manner and experience all this.
:24:31. > :24:34.It has been a great day. A grand day out. But will it be a grand night
:24:35. > :24:43.out for Halloween? I am afraid there could be some
:24:44. > :24:51.soggy ghost written about in the area. Now, look at this, the
:24:52. > :25:00.Northern lights were spotted across the north of the region last night.
:25:01. > :25:07.Look at that. Charged particles from the sun give this coloured light.
:25:08. > :25:13.They interact with the elements in our atmosphere as the hat the
:25:14. > :25:17.magnetic poles of the earth. There is a slim chance of seeing it after
:25:18. > :25:25.midnight tomorrow. Overnight tonight, shoppers will make it wet
:25:26. > :25:31.for Halloween people out and about. The showers will clear from the
:25:32. > :25:37.morning. Temperatures falling to the lowest, at around five or six
:25:38. > :25:42.Celsius. Clear skies could give a view of the Northern lights again
:25:43. > :25:47.tonight. Tomorrow morning, a lot of sun in North Yorkshire and
:25:48. > :25:52.Northumberland. But it will become cloudy as the afternoon progresses
:25:53. > :25:59.and let us take a two or of how the Friday looks. A bit of a north`South
:26:00. > :26:09.split. Rain over much of north Yorkshire, clear the further north
:26:10. > :26:18.you go. Clear also in Cumbria on the West. Not raining yet to the Solway
:26:19. > :26:25.coast, but it will probably be tomorrow evening before the rain
:26:26. > :26:30.arrives and spreads its way north. The big picture shows as this low
:26:31. > :26:35.pressure bringing the stream through the later part of Friday. Type in a
:26:36. > :26:38.time on Saturday but another pressure system bringing more rain
:26:39. > :26:45.through Saturday. On Sunday, it looks better. The weather system
:26:46. > :26:54.clears North and in mid`afternoon, on Sunday, lighter winds because the
:26:55. > :27:00.Isa buyers have eased further apart. Later wins and it stays dry across
:27:01. > :27:09.much of the North East, with rain in Cumbria. Here is the detail across
:27:10. > :27:14.the towns and cities. That colony Saturday, without low`pressure,
:27:15. > :27:22.brighter times on Sunday with the odd shower around, but noticed the
:27:23. > :27:29.colder temperatures. Brightest in the North East on Sunday. Thank you
:27:30. > :27:36.very much. The causing headlines: The phone hacking trial has heard
:27:37. > :27:42.that Rebecca Brooks and Andy Coulson had a seven`year fear.
:27:43. > :28:28.Planet Earth - it's unique. It has life.
:28:29. > :28:35.To understand why, we're going to build a planet...up there.