:00:00. > :00:00.arrives on Friday. Can't wait! That's all
:00:00. > :00:07.Welcome to Monday's programme. In tonight's headlines: Still searching
:00:08. > :00:12.for his killer, a year after this man's murder. Police reveal they've
:00:13. > :00:16.found new DNA evidence. Banking crisis. He used to employ
:00:17. > :00:21.100 people, now there's just seven on the books. Find out why he's
:00:22. > :00:24.blaming RBS. A home for Christmas. Families
:00:25. > :00:27.struggling to get on the housing ladder in the Lake District get a
:00:28. > :00:30.helping hand. And the people's party. Preparations
:00:31. > :00:35.underway for a Christmas knees up for those facing hardship.
:00:36. > :00:37.In sport: The Durham all`rounder from Cumbria who's given
:00:38. > :00:42.long`suffering English cricket fans something to smile about.
:00:43. > :00:46.And while our football teams didn't give us too much to cheer at the
:00:47. > :00:48.weekend, it's nice to know most fans were certainly enjoying the festive
:00:49. > :01:03.spirit. He was a familiar figure in his
:01:04. > :01:08.local community and at Newcastle United games, where he sold football
:01:09. > :01:11.badges. But a year ago today, John 'The Badge' Roberts was found dead
:01:12. > :01:15.at his home in Winlaton near Gateshead. He'd been murdered. One
:01:16. > :01:19.year on, police have renewed their appeal for people to come forward
:01:20. > :01:24.and identify the killer or killers. Adrian Pitches reports.
:01:25. > :01:26.John Roberts was a very distinctive figure, as this Northumbria Police
:01:27. > :01:31.reconstruction, issued six months after his death, shows. He was last
:01:32. > :01:35.seen alive on Saturday December the 15th last year in the convenience
:01:36. > :01:43.store in Winlaton. His body was found in his house the following
:01:44. > :01:51.evening. John was found dead in his house on Sunday December 16, one
:01:52. > :01:55.year today. He was found with head injuries which he had suffered as a
:01:56. > :01:59.result of an attack and we have commenced an investigation that is
:02:00. > :02:02.ongoing for the last 12 month to identify who is responsible for this
:02:03. > :02:05.murder. John Roberts' mother has released childhood pictures of the
:02:06. > :02:07.32`year`old and talks about a passionate Newcastle fan who was
:02:08. > :02:12.selling badges and programmes while still a teenager. She said: There is
:02:13. > :02:15.a person, or people, out there in our community who took John's life.
:02:16. > :02:18.He was only 32`years`old. The law in our country doesn't hand down the
:02:19. > :02:21.death penalty for anyone, but whoever is responsible for John's
:02:22. > :02:25.murder could decide to do it again. They have got away with a year of
:02:26. > :02:29.freedom so far. Next time it might be your child. Please help bring
:02:30. > :02:32.them to justice. One year on from his death, police officers were once
:02:33. > :02:35.again going house to house in Winlaton. They have DNA evidence
:02:36. > :02:39.which shows an unknown female had been in John Roberts' home and they
:02:40. > :02:48.want to eliminate her from their inquiries. We are particularly
:02:49. > :02:51.interested in the female DNA. I believe that female may have been
:02:52. > :02:55.present when John died and may have something to do with his death. I
:02:56. > :03:00.would urge that female to come forward. And explain to us why she
:03:01. > :03:04.was there and what she did, it would be an opportunity as to eliminate
:03:05. > :03:07.her from enquiries. Eight people have been arrested in connection
:03:08. > :03:10.with the killing in the past year. But all have been released without
:03:11. > :03:14.charge. Police remain convinced that the answer lies in Winlaton and that
:03:15. > :03:17.they will find the killer. Adrian Pitches, BBC Look North.
:03:18. > :03:20.The taxpayer`owned Royal Bank of Scotland has been accused of pushing
:03:21. > :03:24.a thriving and profitable Durham company to the edge of
:03:25. > :03:27.administration. The boss of green company Cleaner Air Solutions claims
:03:28. > :03:30.the bank hiked`up fees and interest rates, and then insisted he pay back
:03:31. > :03:35.all loans and overdrafts within three months. A government`backed
:03:36. > :03:39.report has already claimed RBS has deliberately put viable companies
:03:40. > :03:44.out of business. Our Business Correspondent Ian Reeve reports.
:03:45. > :03:49.Gary Bowden's renewable energy business near Durham is much
:03:50. > :03:54.reduced. He once employed a hundred here. Today, it's just seven. The
:03:55. > :03:59.blame, he says, lies with his bank. From 2001, Gary banked with Nat
:04:00. > :04:03.West. He had big loans and overdrafts, yet never defaulted. But
:04:04. > :04:08.in 2010 Nat West told him it didn't understand his business. He had to
:04:09. > :04:13.pay ?35,000 for accountant Deloitte to produce a report to help it do
:04:14. > :04:20.just that. The upshot was Gary's banking was moved from Nat West to
:04:21. > :04:23.RBS, part of the same group. In 2011, RBS hiked Gary's interest
:04:24. > :04:33.rates and told him he had just three months to pay off all loans and
:04:34. > :04:38.overdrafts. At the end of the three months, obviously, then we default
:04:39. > :04:45.it. Within six months of this, we went from paying around about less
:04:46. > :04:50.than 3% interest on the loans, within six months we will pay about
:04:51. > :04:56.11%. It is now costing us a further round about ?1000 per week extra in
:04:57. > :05:00.interest. Gary's not alone in having problems with RBS. A
:05:01. > :05:03.Government`backed report claims the bank has been trying to engineer
:05:04. > :05:07.companies into defaulting, and then snapping up their properties on the
:05:08. > :05:12.cheap. People have come to me with horrific stories of businesses that
:05:13. > :05:17.in my view and Fairview weren't failing, did have a future and would
:05:18. > :05:21.have gone on to keep people in employment. They have been put down
:05:22. > :05:28.and RBS has been affected by getting their property at maybe about a
:05:29. > :05:33.third in eight in a lot of cases of what it was valued at. That didn't
:05:34. > :05:37.happen to Gary. He had to sell his properties on the cheap to pay off
:05:38. > :05:42.his loans and overdrafts. Something he wants legal redress for today. We
:05:43. > :05:46.had, between the companies, around about ?2.6 million with the
:05:47. > :05:50.buildings. In the end, we had to sell the buildings at about half the
:05:51. > :05:55.valuation to be able to get the sale in the time frame needed to be able
:05:56. > :05:59.to satisfy the bank. In a statement, RBS said:
:06:00. > :06:04.At the time of transfer to RBS' Restructuring Group there was a
:06:05. > :06:06."lack of clarity over the company structure" and its "funding
:06:07. > :06:08.requirements," However, RBS insists it "continued to extend investment
:06:09. > :06:14.property funding" until this summer, which enabled Gary to repay his RBS
:06:15. > :06:20.borrowings. The magazine Private Eye Centres Mac
:06:21. > :06:28.Has Its Own Take On The Affair, In One Car To A Private Fish Is Seeing
:06:29. > :06:33.To Its Other, , apparently RBS can pick a small company playing in two
:06:34. > :06:36.minutes. `` picked a small company clean.
:06:37. > :06:38.Police investigating reports of historic sexual abuse, including
:06:39. > :06:42.incidents at two north`east schools, have arrested a former TV weatherman
:06:43. > :06:45.for a second time. Fred Talbot, who was a weather presenter with ITV
:06:46. > :06:50.Granada, was first arrested in April on suspicion of indecent assault. He
:06:51. > :06:54.was arrested again today to answer five new claims and detectives are
:06:55. > :06:59.also questioning him on suspicion of abuse at schools including Saltwell
:07:00. > :07:06.and Slatyford High School. It's thought Mr Talbot taught there from
:07:07. > :07:08.1968 to the early 1970s. A former Chief Superintendent is
:07:09. > :07:12.facing a six months suspension from the House of Lords. An investigation
:07:13. > :07:15.by reporters from the Sunday Times alleged that Lord Brian Mackenzie of
:07:16. > :07:19.Framwellgate sought payment for providing access to Parliament and
:07:20. > :07:22.parliamentary facilities. The Committee for Privileges and Conduct
:07:23. > :07:28.found he'd committed four breaches of the code of conduct.
:07:29. > :07:31.It's hard enough to climb on to the housing ladder, but the high cost of
:07:32. > :07:35.homes within Cumbria's national park often prices first`time buyers out
:07:36. > :07:38.of the market. Now, though, a new housing trust in Keswick has
:07:39. > :07:41.completed eleven new homes in the Lake District town and they've all
:07:42. > :07:51.been allocated to local people for rent or part`ownership, as Alison
:07:52. > :07:56.Freeman reports. This is the kitchen, it is a wonderful size with
:07:57. > :08:01.plenty of storage, big storage cupboard downstairs. We even have a
:08:02. > :08:03.utility room. And a great sized living room.
:08:04. > :08:05.It's a dream come true. An affordable three`bedroom house in
:08:06. > :08:09.Nicola's home town. She's renting from Keswick Community Housing
:08:10. > :08:16.Trust. The 11 houses are the first development project by the group
:08:17. > :08:21.created by Churches Together. We were in a little two`bedroom
:08:22. > :08:25.cottage. We had my partner's son, our little girl and there was not
:08:26. > :08:30.much room at all. We were not going to get anywhere with the council. We
:08:31. > :08:33.now have a garden for them to play in. There's lots of space, it is a
:08:34. > :08:36.wonderful family home. Because Keswick's inside the Lake District
:08:37. > :08:40.National Park buying and even renting a house can be too costly
:08:41. > :08:44.for people who grew up and work in the town. Next door the Thoburn's
:08:45. > :08:53.have bought their house through a shared`ownership scheme. Both of our
:08:54. > :08:58.families are from the local area and our friends are here, with Sarah
:08:59. > :09:04.having to commute to work, it makes it easier for childcare. It . Today,
:09:05. > :09:08.The Hopes was declared officially open. The brand`new homes a far cry
:09:09. > :09:11.from the muddy piece of church land they now occupy. All made possible
:09:12. > :09:17.through grants and the generosity of local investors. Demand was roughly
:09:18. > :09:20.four times what we had, so we have disappointed three times as many
:09:21. > :09:27.people as we have pleased and that is why we want to go on to do an
:09:28. > :09:31.even bigger size, if we can. Organisation had no experience of
:09:32. > :09:36.created social housing until this project. Now they are not stopping
:09:37. > :09:39.here, they have already started looking at other sites to create
:09:40. > :09:43.even more affordable homes for local people.
:09:44. > :09:46.A two`day strike planned at a school in Tynemouth has been called off.
:09:47. > :09:53.The Kings Priory Academy only joined the state system in September after
:09:54. > :09:57.formerly being a private school. The NASUWT union called the strike over
:09:58. > :10:00.working conditions. But after talks today, both sides say the problems
:10:01. > :10:05.have been resolved. Strikes planned for Wednesday and Thursday have now
:10:06. > :10:08.been cancelled. It's one of the more unusual
:10:09. > :10:12.Christmas parties ` none of the guests has been invited and each
:10:13. > :10:15.would probably rather not be there. Tonight, a street party is being
:10:16. > :10:18.thrown for homeless people in the centre of Newcastle. As well as an
:10:19. > :10:22.outdoor meal and entertainment, it's a reminder of the hardship many face
:10:23. > :10:25.at this time of the year. Peter Harris is live at the People's
:10:26. > :10:35.Kitchen now. Peter, it looks they're expecting plenty of folk to turn up?
:10:36. > :10:38.Judging by the amount of food, that is just the potato wedges. This is
:10:39. > :10:43.the very last case that is about to be sent on its way. OK, Tony, you
:10:44. > :10:49.can send that after the arches which is where the party is. It is open
:10:50. > :10:53.air and they have been busy all day. Let's have a chat with Beverley, one
:10:54. > :10:59.of the volunteers. Tell me how exciting tonight will be. Very
:11:00. > :11:04.exciting. We have prepared all year, we have been really busy trying to
:11:05. > :11:11.get everything prepare. It must be lovely to be part of this.
:11:12. > :11:16.Fantastic. Enjoy the party. Let's do follow me around. These volunteers
:11:17. > :11:24.are the ones who are left. The fans have gone off. Let's chat to
:11:25. > :11:36.Russell. Tell me, how important is this event? It is massively
:11:37. > :11:39.important for many of our people. People will be entertained by how
:11:40. > :11:47.Carol singers. It will be quite special. With difficult economic
:11:48. > :11:51.times, has there been a greater uptake of people needing this kind
:11:52. > :11:57.of thing? Yes, there has been an update. We are serving over 33,000
:11:58. > :12:01.meals per year. A lot of people are drawn to our services. Some people
:12:02. > :12:05.are coming for our friendship and our food, others are coming to
:12:06. > :12:09.connect with other services. We form an important role that together with
:12:10. > :12:14.a number of other agencies. It must be rewarding for the volunteers.
:12:15. > :12:18.Most of us have a day job and come here in our spare time to support
:12:19. > :12:24.those who we want is to assist. People get a lot of pleasure out of
:12:25. > :12:31.that and also our friends appreciate the services. Thanks for that. The
:12:32. > :12:35.party starts about 8:30pm in the centre of Newcastle. There will be
:12:36. > :12:39.bands and food. It will be a great atmosphere as well as being an
:12:40. > :12:47.important social thing. We will have coverage on our late bulletin at
:12:48. > :12:52.10:25pm. Still to come: Christmas is just around the corner and there are
:12:53. > :12:55.pantomime moments in team talk. Soaking up the atmosphere, why
:12:56. > :13:03.living in the home of his hero. A unique prize for his... Join me for
:13:04. > :13:07.the forecast, as well as the story behind this shot.
:13:08. > :13:11.He was a novelist and journalist who wrote about the darker side of
:13:12. > :13:16.humanity. Gordon Burn, from Tyneside, influenced a generation of
:13:17. > :13:20.writers. He died four years ago, but now the first literary prize in his
:13:21. > :13:23.name has been awarded to an author from Durham. For tonight's Look
:13:24. > :13:26.North report, our arts reporter Sharuna Sagar has been to meet the
:13:27. > :13:35.young writer who hopes to follow in his footsteps.
:13:36. > :13:39.What is the green cathedral? Everything that is around us, there
:13:40. > :13:43.are loads of things I could learn. It is just about reading the signs.
:13:44. > :13:46.You are never bored when you are surrounded by nature as there are so
:13:47. > :13:50.many things to see and smell and everything is changes all the time.
:13:51. > :13:54.Ben Myers reads an extract from Pig Iron ` his novel that's won him the
:13:55. > :13:57.inaugural Gordon Burn Prize. Part of the prize is to spend up to three
:13:58. > :14:01.months at Burn's much loved cottage in the Scottish borders. And write
:14:02. > :14:05.just like the celebrated author himself used to do. Ben's here
:14:06. > :14:08.putting the finishing touches to his next novel. And he's drawing
:14:09. > :14:17.inspiration from being surrounded by his literary hero's possessions. I
:14:18. > :14:23.can see why... I could see why a writer would want to move here and
:14:24. > :14:26.work. It is beautiful views and you just need a desk and some peace and
:14:27. > :14:29.quiet and that is what this house provides. Newcastle`born and bred,
:14:30. > :14:32.Gordon Burn was a writer's writer ` an innovator who blurred the lines
:14:33. > :14:40.between crime and celebrity, fact and fiction. There are certain books
:14:41. > :14:45.like this, for example, there are notes in there, he that he made
:14:46. > :14:48.them. He must have made them when he was writing and researching previous
:14:49. > :14:53.works. Gordon Burn died in 2009 and his widow says he wished only that
:14:54. > :14:56.his house in Duns be used to foster great art and literature. Because he
:14:57. > :15:02.came from a background that wasn't privileged, he always wanted to help
:15:03. > :15:14.people who wouldn't. And it's slowly happening for Ben. Quite a few of
:15:15. > :15:19.the people on the short list don't have major publishers and they are
:15:20. > :15:21.exactly the sort of people that he would want to get into the
:15:22. > :15:27.mainstream and bring to people's attentions. And's story about the
:15:28. > :15:31.son of a bare knuckle fighter set in his home city of Durham and written
:15:32. > :15:39.in the local dialect captured the imagination of the judges. Gordon
:15:40. > :15:43.was always exploring. He was interested in life and death, he was
:15:44. > :15:52.interested in change and transition and how humans adapt. That is the
:15:53. > :15:56.reason why pick on mac Pig Iron Centres Mack Seem To Be The Winner
:15:57. > :16:03.For Me. Would You Say You Have Channelled Him? No, But He Is One Of
:16:04. > :16:10.The Writers In The Background Shaking His Head Saying You Are
:16:11. > :16:17.Doing It Wrong. Ben Myers Is Now On The Panel To Judge The 2014 Gordon
:16:18. > :16:21.Burn Prize. Sharuna Sagar, BBC Look North, Berwickshire. Great story!
:16:22. > :16:28.And from there we move on to the tale of the weekend sport, with Team
:16:29. > :16:31.Talk. Now it's been too painful to talk
:16:32. > :16:35.about cricket these past few weeks, unless you're an Aussie, but before
:16:36. > :16:38.we move on to the football, let's celebrate a landmark for a Cumbrian
:16:39. > :16:41.youngster who's making a name for himself down under.
:16:42. > :16:43.Yes, congratulations to Durham all`rounder Ben Stokes, who's
:16:44. > :16:46.playing in only his second Test match. England will almost certainly
:16:47. > :16:56.lose the Ashes tomorrow, but young Ben's making sure they go down
:16:57. > :16:59.fighting. He certainly is. He scored his maiden Test 50 in Perth today
:17:00. > :17:03.having shared in a fifth`wicket stand of 99 with Ian Bell. He
:17:04. > :17:07.finished the day on 72 not out. England still need another 253 to
:17:08. > :17:11.win with five wickets left. They won't do it, but it would be
:17:12. > :17:13.fabulous if Ben could go on and make a century.
:17:14. > :17:17.Right, on to the weekend's football now and Newcastle are sixth in the
:17:18. > :17:20.Premier League, but couldn't quite make it four home wins in a row
:17:21. > :17:24.against Southampton, one of manager Alan Pardew's old clubs. No, and a
:17:25. > :17:27.draw probably a fair result. More than anything else though, the game
:17:28. > :17:30.will be remembered for its pantomime moments and a couple of big misses
:17:31. > :17:34.from star striker, Loic Remy. This isn't something you see too often
:17:35. > :17:41.from the Frenchman who's been in stunning form ` eight goals so far
:17:42. > :17:43.this season, but it wasn't his day! Fortunately for Newcastle, Yoan
:17:44. > :17:48.Gouffran isn't doing too badly and he was in the right place at the
:17:49. > :17:50.right time to put away his fifth Premier League goal. But Southampton
:17:51. > :17:54.always looked threatening and Steven Davis was perhaps unlucky not to get
:17:55. > :17:58.his reward for this effort. Just a couple of minutes later, Southampton
:17:59. > :18:01.did equalise ` a nice one two between Davis and Jay Rodriguez
:18:02. > :18:06.which on the upside can only be good news for England. But then it all
:18:07. > :18:09.got a bit silly. Referee Mike Jones ended up on the ground with a nose
:18:10. > :18:12.bleed after Moussa Sissoko accidentally hit him in the face
:18:13. > :18:15.during a confrontation with Saints goalie. Fortunately, he realised it
:18:16. > :18:21.was an accident and didn't send Sissoko off! No, but he did send the
:18:22. > :18:24.two goalkeeping coaches off after Andy Woodman and Tony Jimenez
:18:25. > :18:29.squared up to each other following this challenge on Massadio Haidara,
:18:30. > :18:38.and it ended in a bit of a fracas on the touchline! There was a bit of
:18:39. > :18:44.pantomime season there. I'm not sure what role I had. I don't know,
:18:45. > :18:47.really, it was silly, but it was tense because it was one of those
:18:48. > :18:56.games and it happens, but you do not want to see it. As I say, it was
:18:57. > :18:59.handbags at half`mast. Alan Pardew trying to make light of
:19:00. > :19:02.that incident, but both clubs could well face an FA charge.
:19:03. > :19:05.Now, if you regularly travel to see Sunderland play away from home,
:19:06. > :19:09.you've probably forgotten what it's like to celebrate a goal. Look at
:19:10. > :19:13.this. It's now six blanks in a row on their travels around nine and a
:19:14. > :19:16.half hours of football since the Black Cats last scored outside the
:19:17. > :19:20.North East. And they won't have a better chance of breaking their duck
:19:21. > :19:23.than they did at West Ham on Saturday. The Hammers were missing
:19:24. > :19:25.three key players ` Stewart Downing there, meeting up with his old
:19:26. > :19:28.Middlesbrough team`mate, Adam Johnson. And ex`Newcastle buddies
:19:29. > :19:39.Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll were also out. I you sure that is not
:19:40. > :19:48.Russell Brand? These fans are making the most of it. Not much to dance
:19:49. > :19:52.about when the match started. They did not score any goals. This chance
:19:53. > :20:01.early on, but having seen that, I think that the decided not to swear
:20:02. > :20:16.it. Phil still don't top scorer. If you goals more than any team. A
:20:17. > :20:29.decent chance, that was. Two points lost, rather than a point game. I
:20:30. > :20:36.cannot just think about the result. We need to win games. Dow wins and
:20:37. > :20:41.this is the one we needed to take and we didn't. Let's make sure that
:20:42. > :20:44.we do better against Norwich. In the Championship, Middlesbrough
:20:45. > :20:47.have taken the Christmas spirit of giving just a bit too literally,
:20:48. > :20:50.with yet another late give away. This time against Brighton.
:20:51. > :20:53.That's right, they've now conceded a late goal in each of their last
:20:54. > :20:56.three matches, and that's cost them four valuable points, but it's a
:20:57. > :21:00.habit they've been trying to shake off for a couple of seasons now.
:21:01. > :21:03.Brighton did go close before this scramble, which Boro couldn't quite
:21:04. > :21:07.turn in. And then came the killer blow ` Matthew Upson, five minutes
:21:08. > :21:13.from time, with a header which left new Middlesbrough coach Aitor
:21:14. > :21:22.Karanka almost lost for words. We can believe this, the situation is
:21:23. > :21:32.the same thing. It is always the same. It is the same mistakes. We
:21:33. > :21:36.can't continue in this way. In League One, a great win for
:21:37. > :21:40.Carlisle over Tranmere and a couple of terrific goals to watch out for.
:21:41. > :21:43.Both of them scored by Tom Lawrence, on loan from Manchester United, the
:21:44. > :21:47.first after just 38 seconds ` a lovely first touch and a fabulous
:21:48. > :21:51.volley. A great start to the game. It was nearly an hour later before
:21:52. > :21:54.David Amoo made it 2`0 ` a nice volley on the edge of the six`yard
:21:55. > :21:58.box, something to cheer the fans on a horribly wet afternoon. But then
:21:59. > :22:02.came this, a contender for goal of the season. Yes, Lawrence again,
:22:03. > :22:05.picking the ball up and running at the Tranmere defence, before firing
:22:06. > :22:08.across the keeper and into the far corner. Such a good goal. Mnager
:22:09. > :22:14.Graham Kavanagh even sprinted half the length of the pitch to join in
:22:15. > :22:17.the celebrations! Superb goal, wasn't it? Just for good measure,
:22:18. > :22:22.James Berrett hit number four with the help of a deflection. The Blues
:22:23. > :22:27.are up to 13th in League One. In League Two, Hartlepool were 2`0
:22:28. > :22:33.down at Cheltenham. Scott Flinders' huge boot upfield put away very
:22:34. > :22:36.neatly by Jonathan Franks. And it was Franks again with the equaliser,
:22:37. > :22:40.20 minutes from the end. A good point for Pools. They're back on the
:22:41. > :22:44.road tomorrow for an FA Cup second round replay with Coventry City. And
:22:45. > :22:48.there was a point, as well, for York City ` a sixth draw in eight games,
:22:49. > :22:49.after they'd gone ahead with an own goal from Burton defender Shane
:22:50. > :22:57.Cansdell`Sherriff. Away from football, there could be
:22:58. > :23:00.another basketball trophy coming north in the New Year.
:23:01. > :23:03.Newcastle Eagles stormed into their third consecutive BBL Cup Final
:23:04. > :23:09.after beating Sheffield Sharks 84`57 in the second leg of the semi final
:23:10. > :23:12.on Friday. Fab Flournoy's side overpowered the Sharks to reverse a
:23:13. > :23:19.first`leg three`point deficit, and dominated for long spells pulling
:23:20. > :23:22.well clear midway through the game. The victory sets up a repeat of last
:23:23. > :23:25.year's final, where the Eagles will look to avenge their defeat to
:23:26. > :23:31.Leicester Riders and reclaim the silverware they last won two seasons
:23:32. > :23:39.ago. It was described as perfect and
:23:40. > :23:40.phenomenal. We are not talking about Paul
:23:41. > :23:45.Star`gazers said the Geminid meteor shower which peaked over the weekend
:23:46. > :23:49.was one of the best this year. And it was visible in clear skies over
:23:50. > :23:53.the North East coast. The display was captured by local photographer
:23:54. > :24:00.Tom Heaton. Our reporter Stuart Whincup went to meet him.
:24:01. > :24:06.To see a shooting star every 30 seconds, going over your head, it is
:24:07. > :24:12.fantastic. To get that picture, Tom came here at 4:30am. It was dark,
:24:13. > :24:15.cold and quiet. But the sacrifice was worth it. When you see a
:24:16. > :24:20.shooting star when you are a child, it is the best thing. The tide was
:24:21. > :24:25.out and there was no wind. It was peaceful and quiet. There were no
:24:26. > :24:29.cars or dogs barking. A professional photographer for six years, some of
:24:30. > :24:35.Tom's most striking images have been taken at night. The North East is
:24:36. > :24:39.great as an area. Northumberland is quite sparsely populated. An area
:24:40. > :24:43.has just been given the dark skies award. The coast is always good,
:24:44. > :24:49.young and Brand Hadrian's one. The North East is a great location. The
:24:50. > :24:52.one that gets me is the photograph of the Northern lights, which are
:24:53. > :24:57.photographed here at the White House. That is a rare event for them
:24:58. > :25:05.to be that strong to be able to see them here. `` at the Lighthouse. We
:25:06. > :25:09.have quite high profile stories like the rover on Mars and trying on the
:25:10. > :25:14.moon. I think people are getting more interested. The skies will soon
:25:15. > :25:22.be a again for another meteor shower in early January.
:25:23. > :25:27.Dramatic stuff and it was not just Tom who had his camera out. Ali
:25:28. > :25:34.Moffat and her family were battling gale force winds.
:25:35. > :25:38.This week, I think it will be windy at times and wet. Especially on
:25:39. > :25:41.Wednesday and Friday. That combination is making things feel a
:25:42. > :25:46.bit colder. This evening and through the night there will be one or two
:25:47. > :25:51.showers around. Many places will have a dry night. There will be
:25:52. > :25:56.clear spells and lighter winds. It will be low temperatures for towns
:25:57. > :25:59.and cities, down to two Celsius, rural areas will be cold enough for
:26:00. > :26:05.one or two icy patches or mist patches. It is a cold start
:26:06. > :26:10.tomorrow, but a dry and bright start for most of us. Most places will
:26:11. > :26:14.stay dry. There will be some weak winter sunshine for most of us. Any
:26:15. > :26:18.cloud around will be thin and fairly high. Having said that, it won't
:26:19. > :26:23.feel warm and after the first you start. You will struggle to beat
:26:24. > :26:29.five Celsius. You may see seven or eight in Cumbria, but it would feel
:26:30. > :26:34.any warm with that freshening southerly wind later in the day.
:26:35. > :26:37.Quite quite weather`wise, but this frontal system marches in from the
:26:38. > :26:41.West on Wednesday, bringing a spell of very wet and windy weather. It's
:26:42. > :26:46.the gap on Thursday, blustery showers coming on the westerly wind.
:26:47. > :26:50.Come the end of the week, the next winter storm is ready to approach by
:26:51. > :26:55.the tail end of Friday and into Saturday. If you are out and about,
:26:56. > :26:59.Wednesday will be wet and windy in Cumbria, a bit of a respite on
:27:00. > :27:03.Thursday, maybe some brightness between the showers before the rain
:27:04. > :27:07.and the wind of return on Friday. It is a similar picture for the
:27:08. > :27:10.north`east. But with the winds coming from the South or
:27:11. > :27:14.south`westerly direction, a bit more shelter, so maybe not quite as much
:27:15. > :27:19.strain on Wednesday or Friday. Gusty winds wherever you are, especially
:27:20. > :27:22.over the high ground. Wednesday in particular, again on Friday.
:27:23. > :27:28.Remember to keep your weather pictures coming, you can post them
:27:29. > :27:39.or click on the website. No sign of snow? Not just yet. That
:27:40. > :27:41.is it. Thank you, we'll be back at 10:25pm.