:00:00. > :00:00.Louise, thank you. That's all from the BBC News
:00:00. > :00:09.Hello, welcome to Look North. Tonight ` power cut. Energy giant
:00:10. > :00:14.Npower is axing more than 400 jobs at its North East headquarters. And
:00:15. > :00:23.the German`owned company is closing its entire Teesside operation at
:00:24. > :00:28.Thornaby. Over 1000 jobs going, 430 in the north`east, it is a pretty
:00:29. > :00:30.bad time of the year for those families in the community.
:00:31. > :00:33.Also tonight, the North East has fewer young people going to
:00:34. > :00:35.universities than any other part of the UK ` but is that about to
:00:36. > :00:39.change? A seasonal gift for our friends in
:00:40. > :00:41.the South sets out on its long journey to Westminster.
:00:42. > :00:44.And we celebrate the 25th anniversary of a football fanzine
:00:45. > :01:03.that's always been reaching for the stars.
:01:04. > :01:07.430 jobs lost to India. 1100 more shifted to different locations. 540
:01:08. > :01:14.transferred to an entirely different employer. And two offices closed
:01:15. > :01:16.down. That's the impact of the German`owned energy giant Npower's
:01:17. > :01:23.restructuring of its operations in the North East. Npower's customer
:01:24. > :01:26.service staff find themselves pawns in an international game of
:01:27. > :01:29.high`finance chess. The company operates from three towns in the
:01:30. > :01:31.North East ` Thornaby near Middlesbrough, three offices in
:01:32. > :01:34.Peterlee and at Houghton`le`Spring near Sunderland. Under Npower's
:01:35. > :01:37.plans, 430 back office jobs will be lost ` outsourced to India ` from
:01:38. > :01:39.the company's site at Rainton Bridge, Houghton. Will report on the
:01:40. > :01:42.political backlash from today's news and sheer from the workers and
:01:43. > :01:44.unions affected. First let's join Ian Reeve who is at Npower's
:01:45. > :01:50.headquarters at Rainton Bridge. The figures are not great. It could have
:01:51. > :01:53.been worse, couldn't it? Yes. Last night the unions were painting a
:01:54. > :01:58.picture that could have seen 1000 redundancies and there was no hint
:01:59. > :02:01.at all that affected workers, Npower's workers in Teeside would be
:02:02. > :02:07.offered jobs at Npower here on Wearside.
:02:08. > :02:11.Daniel and then have a choice to make. Npower said today that Teeside
:02:12. > :02:16.call centre will close but all 500 plus that have been offered jobs at
:02:17. > :02:22.the company's Wearside office 30 miles away. I don't have the option
:02:23. > :02:29.because I do not drive it. It is too far away. I cannot get there. It is
:02:30. > :02:33.hard getting here at times, especially with public transport so
:02:34. > :02:38.it is just not feasible for me to be going longer distance. At least I
:02:39. > :02:42.can maybe do a job at Rainton. I don't have any kids, so I don't have
:02:43. > :02:50.a problem getting there. I will just bite the bullet. At least they have
:02:51. > :02:56.a choice. Here at Rainton Bridge where Ben and Daniel are being
:02:57. > :03:03.offered jobs, 430 back office as yet unidentified posts are going.
:03:04. > :03:10.Outsourced to India. 430 jobs going from Houghton`le`Spring. What is the
:03:11. > :03:16.rationale for that? Part of that is moving some of the back`office
:03:17. > :03:20.processes, but equally moving work into Houghton`le`Spring to be able
:03:21. > :03:25.to do that. We have had over 3000 roles in the north`east and that
:03:26. > :03:29.means any of our customers can call our call centres and speak to people
:03:30. > :03:32.within the north`east. Other jobs are being moved here from Peterlee
:03:33. > :03:38.and dumb are being transferred from the County Durham site to a
:03:39. > :03:42.different company entirely. `` some are being transferred. It is part of
:03:43. > :03:47.a five`year cost`cutting plan despite Npower making big profits
:03:48. > :03:51.last year. They have hiked bills by up to 11%. Yellow like there is a
:03:52. > :03:56.customer tramper 's mission programme that makes us able to
:03:57. > :04:00.improve customer satisfaction. We need to change the organisation,
:04:01. > :04:04.improve customer satisfaction and working with partners enables us to
:04:05. > :04:07.drive that forward. What may seem like good news on Teeside, the offer
:04:08. > :04:13.of jobs elsewhere, in spite of the call centre closure, and not be good
:04:14. > :04:18.news for the town where it is based. Some traders could be hit hard. I
:04:19. > :04:22.had a customer in after finding out what had happened this morning. She
:04:23. > :04:26.said she did not know whether she was going to lose her job or not so
:04:27. > :04:30.I asked her where she came from, and I asked her if she would carry on
:04:31. > :04:34.shopping in here and basically she said she would have to travel and
:04:35. > :04:38.would not be able to do it. So therefore there is one customer
:04:39. > :04:42.down. How many more? It was not Npower would just walk away from
:04:43. > :04:45.Thornaby. But the unexpected gesture of offering jobs on Wearside I'd
:04:46. > :04:54.also have an unexpected consequence there. Joining me here on Wearside
:04:55. > :04:58.is Chris Jukes, senior organiser with the GMB union. Very sad for
:04:59. > :05:02.those 430 people here live lose their jobs but is fair to say that
:05:03. > :05:07.it could have been worse than this and it is not as bad as it could
:05:08. > :05:10.have been? We would not say that. Yesterday was a convoluted day in
:05:11. > :05:14.terms of rumour and Canterbury but the fact is, or people are losing
:05:15. > :05:18.their jobs in the north`east and families will be affected. However,
:05:19. > :05:22.there is another 1000 elsewhere in the country the same, so those jobs
:05:23. > :05:26.are going to the offshored. There is 570 people who are going to transfer
:05:27. > :05:32.which will have a knock`on affect. Last night the union said 1400 jobs
:05:33. > :05:37.all across the country would be outsourced to India. But it is
:05:38. > :05:43.harder than 30. You must be relatively pleased? At all. Our
:05:44. > :05:49.figures are correct. As either 570 that are transfer into another
:05:50. > :05:55.provider. Last night the GMB union said 1400 jobs were going to India,
:05:56. > :05:59.then not. There is 430. Young in the north`east, yes. But there is other
:06:00. > :06:02.sites in Stoke and other parts of the country and they are going as
:06:03. > :06:08.well, another thousand jobs, so the figures are correct.
:06:09. > :06:13.As I say, you were bullish yesterday. You're talking about a
:06:14. > :06:20.public inquiry. If Npower wants to cut costs, there is nothing we can
:06:21. > :06:24.do about it. Is there? There is a issue with the market. That is for
:06:25. > :06:30.starters. But equally it is about customer service efficiency. It is
:06:31. > :06:33.about cost. RWE in Germany are in severe natural difficulty and there
:06:34. > :06:36.is much bigger strategic issues at stake, that is why we need an
:06:37. > :06:43.inquiry to look at the nature of the markets. The safe supply of energy
:06:44. > :06:48.etc. Thank you. It is probably fair to say that it could have been a lot
:06:49. > :06:51.worse but let's not forget, 430 people here and undoubtedly at least
:06:52. > :06:57.a few more on Teeside will lose their jobs. Act to you.
:06:58. > :07:00.Thank you. The behaviour of energy companies
:07:01. > :07:04.like Npower has been at the centre of debate for weeks now. Labour
:07:05. > :07:07.wants the market shaken up, and the Conservatives say more competition
:07:08. > :07:10.is needed. So it was inevitable that there'd be a strong reaction ` and
:07:11. > :07:12.some condemnation ` from local politicians to today's
:07:13. > :07:18.announcements. `` back to you. Here's our Political Editor, Richard
:07:19. > :07:22.Moss. Npower may be owned by German
:07:23. > :07:27.company RWE now, but it does have a history rooted in the North East.
:07:28. > :07:30.Right now you could save up to ?140 off your gas bill if you switch to
:07:31. > :07:33.Northern Electric. Remember Northern Electric? It was the North East
:07:34. > :07:37.Electricity Board before it took on a new privatised identity in 1990.
:07:38. > :07:40.For a while it survived before being swallowed up by Npower. But the past
:07:41. > :07:44.partly explains why the company employs as many as it still does in
:07:45. > :07:52.the region. And why North East MPs were quick to raise their concerns
:07:53. > :07:55.today. 560 workers at the Npower call centre in Thornaby where many
:07:56. > :08:00.of my constituents work are going to be affected I Npower's announcements
:08:01. > :08:08.to remove 100 400 `` 1400 jobs from the UK. What is the Minister's
:08:09. > :08:12.community and is with Npower? We will work across government,
:08:13. > :08:14.particularly across my department, to help people affected by this
:08:15. > :08:19.announcement. Even before today, Npower and other suppliers have been
:08:20. > :08:22.facing a lot of political heat. Labour leader Ed Miliband tapped
:08:23. > :08:25.into public anger at his party conference, offering to freeze
:08:26. > :08:29.charges for 20 months and overhaul the industry. Npower's response ` a
:08:30. > :08:31.price rise of 10%. And some claim today's announcement shows the
:08:32. > :08:40.company's contempt for communities and customers. There are some 500
:08:41. > :08:44.people in Thornaby working in Thornaby currently who spend at the
:08:45. > :08:47.local shops, spend in the town centre, and that is very important
:08:48. > :08:51.to the local economy. They are one of the biggest employers on Teeside,
:08:52. > :08:54.we are losing those people from the economy locally so we must do
:08:55. > :08:57.something to persuade the company to change their mind. They are only
:08:58. > :09:01.interested in profit. We have seen the huge increase in energy prices
:09:02. > :09:04.in recent times. They want to do is maximise their profits. They do not
:09:05. > :09:07.care about the local economy and they do not care much about their
:09:08. > :09:09.customers. Npower says today's restructuring will improve customer
:09:10. > :09:13.service. And there'll be plenty of people in the North East who'll be
:09:14. > :09:18.able to judge that. Many Northern Electric customers have never
:09:19. > :09:24.switched suppliers. That means Npower still has a 64% share of the
:09:25. > :09:27.region's energy market. Well, joining me now from
:09:28. > :09:30.Westminster is James Wharton, the Conservative MP for Stockton South
:09:31. > :09:33.whose constituency takes in Npower's Thornaby operation. Mr Wharton, we
:09:34. > :09:35.heard Alex Cunningham in that last report accusing Npower of treating
:09:36. > :09:42.Thornaby, and its customers, with contempt. Do you agree? I certainly
:09:43. > :09:45.think it has been a bad day. It has not been a disastrous day that it
:09:46. > :09:48.could have been and we thought it was going to be yesterday when there
:09:49. > :09:51.were talks of much larger numbers of jobs being lost and I am pleased
:09:52. > :09:54.that although we have had this bag is to deal with, people who work at
:09:55. > :09:58.the Thornaby call centre are not losing their jobs, not being made
:09:59. > :10:01.redundant, they are being moved and I have been talking to Npower today
:10:02. > :10:04.already about what package will be in place to ensure that the
:10:05. > :10:10.transport needs, the additional cost that they would incur, are going to
:10:11. > :10:13.be met, whether it involves putting on buses so that people can keep
:10:14. > :10:17.those jobs. It is a bad day, bad news, I am not happy with the way it
:10:18. > :10:21.has come about the decision Npower has taken. It is just about
:10:22. > :10:24.transport. There are childcare issues as well for some people. It
:10:25. > :10:28.is inevitable there will be a lot of people who will not be able to make
:10:29. > :10:32.that move to Rainton Bridge. Yes. There will be people for whom it is
:10:33. > :10:35.not practical no matter what Npower do to help. It is important we get
:10:36. > :10:40.the best possible package in place for them. There is a knock`on impact
:10:41. > :10:42.for people in the local economy, people will not be spending money in
:10:43. > :10:45.Thornaby town centre and that is bad news. At the same time, we should
:10:46. > :10:48.recognise that the site had a lot going for it and we have to be
:10:49. > :10:51.careful when talking about issues like this that we do not then
:10:52. > :10:55.Teeside in talking about the challenges that this presents us. We
:10:56. > :10:58.have got falling unemployment in places like Stockton South, it has
:10:59. > :11:02.fallen every month this year. This is a bad blow to that but it is not
:11:03. > :11:05.the end of the story or the world. We have to protect those workers the
:11:06. > :11:08.best we can and ensure we continue to work to keep our economy growing
:11:09. > :11:11.locally and turn the corner after all the problems we have had in
:11:12. > :11:14.recent years. The big energy companies are in the firing line
:11:15. > :11:17.because of the big price rises they're bringing in. Is this not
:11:18. > :11:21.further evidence that they need to be reined in? I think it is very
:11:22. > :11:24.clear that there is a problem in the way the energy market is functioning
:11:25. > :11:27.and what I do not like is the cheap opulence politics of having a pop at
:11:28. > :11:30.them, thinking up a policy one morning and presenting it on behalf
:11:31. > :11:34.of a political party of whatever colour that night. We need aerial
:11:35. > :11:38.and serious investigation into the way our energy market works, into
:11:39. > :11:43.where the problems are and the correct and structured approach to
:11:44. > :11:45.ensure long`term stability for companies and customers and for the
:11:46. > :11:50.employees of these companies because less we forget, these company
:11:51. > :11:53.shareholders are our pension funds and savings or it is a complex
:11:54. > :11:56.picture. Something needs to be done, the government is correct to
:11:57. > :12:00.be looking at increase in cognition and where the market is not working
:12:01. > :12:03.properly, this is not a time for cheap, popular statements. It is a
:12:04. > :12:10.time for serious reflection. Thank you.
:12:11. > :12:14.More of today's news now. A grandmother who stabbed to death her
:12:15. > :12:16.son's former partner has been found guilty of murder. 58`year`old
:12:17. > :12:18.Heather Emmonds, from Seaton Delaval in Northumberland, stabbed
:12:19. > :12:21.42`year`old Tina Casey, fearing she would never see her grandson again.
:12:22. > :12:25.Emmonds had admitted killing Tina at a house in Holywell Village, but
:12:26. > :12:27.denied murder on the grounds of "loss of control and diminished
:12:28. > :12:30.responsibility." The jury at Newcastle Crown Court found her
:12:31. > :12:34.guilty. She'll be sentenced tomorrow.
:12:35. > :12:37.Newcastle Airport has been awarded ?2 in "nominal damages" at the end
:12:38. > :12:40.of an expensive court case against a firm of solicitors. The airport
:12:41. > :12:44.alleged the law firm Eversheds had failed in its duty to them, because
:12:45. > :12:47.it hadn't explained in simple terms the impact of an ?8 million bonus
:12:48. > :12:51.deal negotiated by two of the airport's directors. The Court of
:12:52. > :12:55.Appeal ruled that even if Eversheds had explained the situation in plain
:12:56. > :12:57.English, the chairwoman of the airport's remuneration committee,
:12:58. > :13:04.economist Rosemary Radcliffe, would probably not have read it properly.
:13:05. > :13:06.Police investigating the accident in North Yorkshire early yesterday
:13:07. > :13:10.morning, in which three Polish people died, have revealed a mother
:13:11. > :13:14.and her teenage son were among the fatalities. The woman, aged 40, and
:13:15. > :13:18.her 18`year old`son, died alongside a 47`year`old man. The two other
:13:19. > :13:23.passengers in the car ` men aged 30 and 37 ` remain in Hull Royal
:13:24. > :13:26.Infirmary. A 48`year`old Pickering man, who was driving the other
:13:27. > :13:34.vehicle involved, has now been discharged from hospital. The dead
:13:35. > :13:37.all lived in Hull. The former Newcastle United
:13:38. > :13:40.footballer Michael Chopra has told a court that players would bet sums of
:13:41. > :13:44.?30,000 while gambling on the team bus. The 29`year`old ` who later
:13:45. > :13:47.played for Sunderland ` was giving evidence as a witness in a cocaine
:13:48. > :13:51.trial at Newcastle Crown Court. He said he had gambled away around ?2
:13:52. > :13:59.million since making his debut for Newcastle at 17. He described the
:14:00. > :14:03.sessions as "team bonding." The North East has fewer young
:14:04. > :14:07.people going to universities than any other part of the UK ` according
:14:08. > :14:10.to the latest figures. Just a third of school leavers in the region
:14:11. > :14:14.enter higher education, compared to nearly half in London. And fewer of
:14:15. > :14:16.those North East students who take a degree will go to the most
:14:17. > :14:19.academically`selective universities. But is the picture changing? Oxford
:14:20. > :14:22.University has recently been holding interview workshops on Tyneside.
:14:23. > :14:29.Luke Walton went along as part of our Big Question, asking: Are we
:14:30. > :14:33.bottom of the class? Let's move on to thinking about what
:14:34. > :14:38.Oxford and Cambridge are looking for.
:14:39. > :14:40.How to get here from here. For any university applicant, Oxford and
:14:41. > :14:46.Cambridge are the ultimate challenge. But these Newcastle six
:14:47. > :14:51.formers hope not an impossible one. Especially with some expert advice
:14:52. > :14:56.from an insider. I applied to Oxford from a conference of and I remember
:14:57. > :14:59.not really having any idea of what would be awaiting me in the
:15:00. > :15:03.interview room. I think today is about giving them a sense of the
:15:04. > :15:08.kind of questions that they might face. Doesn't make it less
:15:09. > :15:12.frightening? Yes. The tutor has been really comforting. She had explained
:15:13. > :15:16.that they are not all horrible creatures and are going to ask us
:15:17. > :15:21.trick questions. We are realistic about our own potential and that we
:15:22. > :15:25.might not make it. It is a hard process. But we should be able to
:15:26. > :15:28.have a chance to take it if we can. The two schools represented at this
:15:29. > :15:32.event have both had success in getting pupils into top
:15:33. > :15:36.universities. Both regularly sending students to Oxford or Cambridge. But
:15:37. > :15:41.that is not the picture in every part of our region. The director of
:15:42. > :15:44.admissions at Oxford was brought up in Gateshead. He says the university
:15:45. > :15:50.is building stronger links with the north`east but there are challenges
:15:51. > :15:53.for the schools as well. If we take A`level performance and kids getting
:15:54. > :15:57.three grade eggs which is the basic level to make a competitive
:15:58. > :16:00.application, in Newcastle local authority two years ago there was
:16:01. > :16:05.only 8% of children who got that, in reading, then in the south`east, 34%
:16:06. > :16:08.of kids got that. What we have to do is work out why the schools in
:16:09. > :16:11.reading or achieving that, and what can be done to transplant that two
:16:12. > :16:15.schools in the north`east. The numbers going to all types of
:16:16. > :16:22.university vary sharply from area to area. In North Yorkshire, 46% of
:16:23. > :16:28.young people enter higher education. In Tynemouth, 45%. Both above the
:16:29. > :16:35.national average. But in Copeland, the figure is just 29%. What we are
:16:36. > :16:41.going to look at now are fingerprints. Could this be the
:16:42. > :16:44.answer? Academics from Teeside lead a lesson in forensics at a local
:16:45. > :16:50.primary school with the aim of sparking interest in science and the
:16:51. > :16:54.very idea of university. They go past it on a daily basis and they
:16:55. > :16:59.know there is people there studying there, lecturers here, they know,
:17:00. > :17:02.they have met them, so it takes away that mystery of what the university
:17:03. > :17:07.is and they see that it is real people and it is for them and
:17:08. > :17:13.achievable for them. Encouraging the young into higher education is not
:17:14. > :17:16.just a matter of raising awareness. Higher tuition fees and the worries
:17:17. > :17:20.about graduate unemployment loom large but staff here insist
:17:21. > :17:26.university remains a good deal for the students as well as being vital
:17:27. > :17:29.to the economy. The skilled in the employment industry around Teeside,
:17:30. > :17:34.we provide opportunities for those students to prepare them for work so
:17:35. > :17:42.our industry around this region, our courses, are always tailored to meet
:17:43. > :17:44.the needs of employers. What is important is whether the young
:17:45. > :17:53.choose it university in the first place. At the demand for skills and
:17:54. > :17:56.qualifications grows ever higher. Tomorrow night we look at how
:17:57. > :17:59.employable young people are when they leave school. The Big Question
:18:00. > :18:03.asks: Do they have the right skills to start work? Still to come, the
:18:04. > :18:09.signal boxes that have become listed buildings, a birthday celebration,
:18:10. > :18:12.and a Christmas present. After a cloudy day today, a
:18:13. > :18:16.different field tomorrow. It will be brighter but it will be windier and
:18:17. > :18:23.that will make it feel colder. Join me later for the full forecast.
:18:24. > :18:26.Twelve old`style signal boxes on railway lines in the North have been
:18:27. > :18:29.given Grade Two listed status. On the list are Marston Moor and
:18:30. > :18:33.Hammerton, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire, along with the box at
:18:34. > :18:36.Settle Station in Cumbria. The status has been awarded by the
:18:37. > :18:39.Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as part of a project to
:18:40. > :18:48.safeguard the nation's railway heritage. Heidi Tomlinson reports.
:18:49. > :18:52.Things are done the old fashion way at Marston Moor on the York to
:18:53. > :19:00.Haringey line. This signal has worked here since 1978. `` this
:19:01. > :19:06.signal worker. The chimes at heard `` are her cue to close the road to
:19:07. > :19:10.traffic. The bell goes again wish straws that train is coming. Then
:19:11. > :19:14.she pulled the lever to lift the signal. Marston Moor was once used
:19:15. > :19:16.as a station and there is still a platform here but for the last 40
:19:17. > :19:18.years the trains have just rumbled straight through. Drivers relying on
:19:19. > :19:33.the mechanical signals. It is a simple system. If the arm is
:19:34. > :19:39.raised, it is a green light. If Lord, a red light. The lever frame
:19:40. > :19:43.it makes this 165`year`old signal box and shall and is one of the
:19:44. > :19:46.reasons why it is being giving a grade two listed status along with
:19:47. > :19:51.two others in North Yorkshire, Hammerton and settle. It deserves
:19:52. > :20:02.that state is because it is truly old. But very reliable. I put the
:20:03. > :20:09.keys into the gate locks, I pull off and then a signal comes off. It has
:20:10. > :20:16.never failed you? No. I have been here 35 years. And the work is very
:20:17. > :20:23.interesting. I have loved every second of it. But modernisation is
:20:24. > :20:27.inevitable. And a few years `` a few years time, the Marston Moor signal
:20:28. > :20:30.box will be decommissioned. We have to move with the times with the
:20:31. > :20:33.increasing demand of real services, we are signalling to operating
:20:34. > :20:36.centres to enable us to run more trains are visually and
:20:37. > :20:40.unfortunately the signal boxes will not be used any more. Hence the
:20:41. > :20:46.listed status, protection for a piece of real way history. ``
:20:47. > :20:51.railway history. They look great.
:20:52. > :20:55.Now, as we all know, these are tough times for the print media with many
:20:56. > :20:58.publications going "online only" or folding altogether. So, raise a
:20:59. > :21:01.glass this weekend to a football fanzine which is celebrating its
:21:02. > :21:05.25th anniversary. And the special birthday issue of "Fly Me to the
:21:06. > :21:10.Moon" will mark the first home game of Middlesbrough's new Spanish
:21:11. > :21:14.manager. Mark Tulip reports. The fanzine's very title was taken
:21:15. > :21:18.from then borough boss Bruce Rioch's famous quote that if he ever had to
:21:19. > :21:21.fly to the moon, he'd take his captain Tony Mowbray with him.
:21:22. > :21:24.Mowbray appeared on the front cover of the very first edition back in
:21:25. > :21:28.1988, and lateras Middlesbrough manager on the front of the 500th.
:21:29. > :21:33.But his recent sacking left Fly Me to the Moon's editor with mixed
:21:34. > :21:39.feelings. It is sad. It would have been good to have done this issue
:21:40. > :21:43.with Tony here. Definitely. The fanzine is lots of fans views, I am
:21:44. > :21:46.eating together their fans' viewers who are sad and disappointed that it
:21:47. > :21:52.ended like this. `` I am putting together. It is hard to actually sit
:21:53. > :21:57.there and put all that together and you think, it is at the end of an
:21:58. > :22:01.era. But we are in a new era now. If Tony to go to the moon, perhaps new
:22:02. > :22:06.manager can change the philosophy of the way football is played. `` if
:22:07. > :22:09.Tony took us to the moon. Since that first edition ` produced on a
:22:10. > :22:14.typewriter then photocopied ` there have been plenty of highlights. Back
:22:15. > :22:19.an 1880s, we had just staved off liquidation so to actually be in a
:22:20. > :22:27.cup final, that was fantastic. But `` back in the 1980s. And then of
:22:28. > :22:34.course a UEFA cup final, it has been incredible. An incredibly eventful
:22:35. > :22:38.quarter`century. What about the fans I'm's future? We need bigger crowds.
:22:39. > :22:44.We need more subscribers to keep it viable, but I wanted to get going,
:22:45. > :22:51.as long as people want it, I to keep producing it.
:22:52. > :22:54.Middlesbrough have this evening agreed to sign Republic of Ireland
:22:55. > :22:57.goalkeeper Shay Given on a one`month loan from Aston Villa. The
:22:58. > :23:03.37`year`old goes straight into the squad for Saturday's game against
:23:04. > :23:06.Bolton Wanderers at the Riverside. `` I want to keep it going. Given
:23:07. > :23:09.made 461 appearances for Newcastle before moving to Manchester City. He
:23:10. > :23:13.also made 17 appearances for Sunderland, so if he makes his
:23:14. > :23:16.borough debut, he will become one of a select band of players to have
:23:17. > :23:18.represented all three major North`East clubs.
:23:19. > :23:21.For the past 12 years, the Christmas tree for London's Houses of
:23:22. > :23:24.Parliament have been provided by our very own Kielder Water and Forest
:23:25. > :23:28.Park. And today the Westminster tree was lifted onto a truck ready to
:23:29. > :23:32.head to the capital for all the world to see. The tree will
:23:33. > :23:35.eventually be positioned at the base of Big Ben, where all eyes of the
:23:36. > :23:38.world will see it. Julie Smith joined today's operation.
:23:39. > :23:40.Around 3000 homes in the North East will decorate a tree from Kielder
:23:41. > :23:43.this Christmas. But not as big as this one, chosen to stand at the
:23:44. > :23:48.foot of Big Ben. And getting it to London is a delicate operation. It
:23:49. > :23:52.is 40 foot long so obviously it is about 2.5 tonnes, so it is crucial
:23:53. > :23:58.we get it up and over and into the truck without damaging any of the
:23:59. > :24:00.branches. Someone in the houses of parliament might not be too happy if
:24:01. > :24:06.it goes down there with broken branches. The tree has been rapped
:24:07. > :24:09.for the occasion. There is less chance of doing any damage to the
:24:10. > :24:13.brand sees when we are lifting it on and off, plus it is easier for them
:24:14. > :24:18.to manhandle when they get it down there. This is one of 250 trees
:24:19. > :24:23.headed for our towns and cities this season. And that 40 foot high, the
:24:24. > :24:31.Forestry Commission say it will be one of the most autographed trees in
:24:32. > :24:37.the world. `` photograph. It has taken 30 years to grow the tree. It
:24:38. > :24:43.is a difficult task. It is not normal. The tree is all about being
:24:44. > :24:48.the right shape, the right height, and the right colour. Big eyes have
:24:49. > :24:54.handled it with a degree of profession not to damage it. The
:24:55. > :24:57.dangerous element is to make sure you do not break the tree. With no
:24:58. > :25:05.damage done, the challenge is to get the tree safely transported and in
:25:06. > :25:10.place in London. I think we will stick with an
:25:11. > :25:14.artificial one this year! It does not feel like Christmas yet, Paul.
:25:15. > :25:17.not feel like It is very quiet weather`wise. A
:25:18. > :25:28.quiet weather picture to start us off this evening, a nice cam, recent
:25:29. > :25:31.short of their went water. `` Derwent Water. Tomorrow the skies
:25:32. > :25:36.will be brighter but it will be more windy. It will be colder. This
:25:37. > :25:39.evening and overnight, we are keeping an eye on this weather
:25:40. > :25:42.system in the North West. That will eventually come down and bring that
:25:43. > :25:47.changing the weather as head into tomorrow. A lot of cloud around this
:25:48. > :25:50.evening, any breaks in the cloud and East will unload a few mist or fog
:25:51. > :25:53.patches to form but most places are cloudy and eventually we see some
:25:54. > :25:57.outbreaks of rain spreading in from the North West. One of the heavier
:25:58. > :26:00.burst later in the night, further south and east you are more likely
:26:01. > :26:04.you are to stay dry. Temperatures for a time down to three or four
:26:05. > :26:07.Celsius, they will pick up again later in the night at the cloud they
:26:08. > :26:11.can do that westerly winds picked up as well. The first thing tomorrow
:26:12. > :26:14.morning, it is cloudy, more rain at times but that rain won't hang
:26:15. > :26:17.around too long, by eight or nine o'clock most places are markedly
:26:18. > :26:22.right. Lots of sunshine tomorrow. One or two showers coming in on that
:26:23. > :26:27.north`westerly wind but many places being and dry. `` staying dry.
:26:28. > :26:32.Temperatures on paper are similar to D`day. A Celsius, but adding the
:26:33. > :26:41.effect of that north`westerly wind and it really will be noticeably
:26:42. > :26:45.cooler. `` similar to today. As we head into the big end, that is what
:26:46. > :26:47.is bringing us a blustery weather tomorrow at the low pressure pulls
:26:48. > :26:52.away, the high start to build again through the weekend, still a
:26:53. > :26:56.northerly wind on Saturday. But lighter winds open up and then more
:26:57. > :27:00.cloud and high`pressure on Sunday. High pressure in charge, so nothing
:27:01. > :27:04.is going to change that dramatically through the course of the weekend.
:27:05. > :27:08.If you are out and about, Saturday and Sunday, if it is blue sky you
:27:09. > :27:11.are after, that today is the pick of the two, if it is my other
:27:12. > :27:15.temperatures and you do not mind paying the price for some cloudy
:27:16. > :27:19.skies, Sunday is the day to go for temperatures, just about into double
:27:20. > :27:25.figures, 10 Celsius. Lighter winds by then as well. You can get free
:27:26. > :27:32.updates from the BBC weather app. Not bad at all. Thank you. Hundreds
:27:33. > :27:34.of people in north`east will be made redundant or relocated as energy
:27:35. > :27:40.giant Npower restructures its business. We will have more on that
:27:41. > :27:46.later on tonight. Join us at 10:25pm.