:00:11. > :00:15.Hello, welcome to Look North. In the programme tonight...
:00:16. > :00:18.The Coroner at the David Rathband inquest says everyone involved did
:00:19. > :00:21.all they could to help the blinded officer. His family say they will
:00:22. > :00:23.continue action against Northumbria Police.
:00:24. > :00:26.Offside ` Newcastle and Sunderland football clubs accuse a police force
:00:27. > :00:29.of lying about its involvement in changing derby match kick`off times.
:00:30. > :00:32.Toxic dilemma ` councils lose the cash they need to clean up pollution
:00:33. > :00:35.like this, but could still be prosecuted if they do not clean it
:00:36. > :00:38.up. And this week's Big Question ` would
:00:39. > :00:41.an independent Scotland be this region's friend or foe?
:00:42. > :00:44.In sport ` bottom of the Premier League, but Wembley beckons for the
:00:45. > :00:47.Black Cats. A 2`1 win over mighty Manchester United gives Sunderland
:00:48. > :01:02.the upper hand in their Capital One League Cup semifinal.
:01:03. > :01:08.The inquest is over. The verdict was suicide, but for the family of PC
:01:09. > :01:10.David Rathband, it does not end here.
:01:11. > :01:13.Relatives of the officer shot and blinded by Raoul Moat in 2010 have
:01:14. > :01:22.confirmed they will continue a civil action against Northumbria Police.
:01:23. > :01:26.PC Rathband was found hanged at his home in Blyth in February 2012 and
:01:27. > :01:28.the coroner at his inquest has implored family and friends not to
:01:29. > :01:31.blame themselves. Northumbria Police Chief Constable
:01:32. > :01:34.Sue Sim, who had retained PC Rathband on full pay and promised
:01:35. > :01:51.him he could return to police work, rejects the family's criticism. It
:01:52. > :02:03.is the half years since PC David Rathband one shot. Today, a verdict
:02:04. > :02:06.of suicide was given, after he was found hanging.
:02:07. > :02:09.In the first months after he was shot, PC Rathband showed incredible
:02:10. > :02:12.resilience and enjoyed his new`found high profile, setting up the Blue
:02:13. > :02:15.Lamp Foundation, a charity for emergency workers injured in the
:02:16. > :02:19.course of duty. In 2011, he attended the trial of
:02:20. > :02:22.Raoul Moat's two accomplices, who both received life sentences for
:02:23. > :02:25.their crimes, but he then entered a downward spiral and moved out of the
:02:26. > :02:33.family home that August, after a furious row with Kath which prompted
:02:34. > :02:36.his son to call the police. He started a relationship with a
:02:37. > :02:40.survivor of the London bombings, Lisa French, and although he spoke
:02:41. > :02:43.of suicide, she never believed he would go through with it.
:02:44. > :02:51.His estranged wife said the same and today she paid tribute to her
:02:52. > :02:58.husband. Three and a half years ago, all of our lives changed
:02:59. > :03:04.irrevocably. While I have lost David, he has left me amazing
:03:05. > :03:10.children and I am immensely proud of them and what they have achieved. He
:03:11. > :03:18.would also be very proud of the work of the foundation he started to aid
:03:19. > :03:21.those who are injured in the line of duty.
:03:22. > :03:30.His family blamed both Kath and Northumbria Police for failing their
:03:31. > :03:33.brother and son. The loss of David has devastated to his family and we
:03:34. > :03:40.will never be able to come to terms with this. Darren and I, will
:03:41. > :03:43.continue the litigation against Northumbria Police.
:03:44. > :03:47.But Chief Constable Sue Sim, who kept PC Rathband on full pay and
:03:48. > :03:52.offered him another police job, rejected their criticism.
:03:53. > :03:56.She said: "We must refute any suggestion that we failed to support
:03:57. > :03:58.David or that the support we provided was inadequate."
:03:59. > :04:01.Included in that support was a clinical psychologist, a trauma
:04:02. > :04:04.counsellor and the use of a specialist agency for rehabilitation
:04:05. > :04:07.of people who have lost their sight. Sue Sim concluded: "David was a
:04:08. > :04:14.valued and skilled officer. We all repeat our deep sadness at his
:04:15. > :04:17.death." With me now is Peter Sweeney, from
:04:18. > :04:21.the Blue Lamp Foundation, the charity set up by David Rathband to
:04:22. > :04:24.provide financial help to members of the emergency services injured in
:04:25. > :04:36.the course of duty. Peter, to you, who was David
:04:37. > :04:41.Rathband? David was a cheeky chap. He was very motivational. You can
:04:42. > :04:51.look at that photograph there, that cheeky smile. He was very
:04:52. > :05:03.motivational. I think a lot of people do not realise that before
:05:04. > :05:10.the injury, he had never spoken in public before, but afterwards became
:05:11. > :05:17.a very motivational public speaker. That's still drives me on today.
:05:18. > :05:27.This sort of charity was not around to help him when he was so terribly
:05:28. > :05:35.injured. It did not. The inspiration came from himself. Lying in his
:05:36. > :05:39.hospital bed, his family had the likes of car parking fees to pay for
:05:40. > :05:43.week 's. They had to pay for that themselves. There was no one to turn
:05:44. > :05:50.to. He made them are promise they can then that he if he could do
:05:51. > :05:55.something about it in the future in the same circumstances would not be
:05:56. > :06:06.a bit of pocket. Is it possible to keep the charity's profile high
:06:07. > :06:15.without David? We have had two years of working with David. We will
:06:16. > :06:21.continue. When David went to Australia in November 2010 and
:06:22. > :06:28.unfortunately, has unfortunate death afterwards, we have continued as
:06:29. > :06:31.much as possible. We do not have his physical presence, but we know what
:06:32. > :06:37.he wanted us to do and we will continue to do that. We have got a
:06:38. > :06:46.lot of helpers fundraisers across emergency service personnel. And
:06:47. > :06:51.also, I would say, not to embarrass you, all on the voluntary basis.
:06:52. > :06:55.The public row between Northumbria Police and our two Premiership
:06:56. > :06:58.Football clubs has continued today. In recent seasons, the kick`off
:06:59. > :07:01.times for the highly`charged derbies have been moved forward, to the
:07:02. > :07:04.frustration of many fans, who want a traditional three o'clock, or later,
:07:05. > :07:08.start. The force claims it ''cannot direct changes'' to kick`off times,
:07:09. > :07:17.but the clubs say that simply is not true and described the comments as
:07:18. > :07:24.''frankly, false and absurd". Violent scenes at last year's Tyne
:07:25. > :07:27.Wear derby in Newcastle. This is why Northumbria Police says it has to be
:07:28. > :07:30.involved in the arrangements for the games They deny directing when the
:07:31. > :07:41.games should be played, but the clubs say they do, so are they
:07:42. > :07:48.lying. I do not expect them to agree with it. We are factually correct in
:07:49. > :07:55.saying we do not and cannot and will not order a football club to take a
:07:56. > :08:03.football match to a particular kick`off time to another team. Do we
:08:04. > :08:08.make representations and possibly objections? Yes, we do. But we do
:08:09. > :08:11.not order changes. Newcastle and Sunderland say
:08:12. > :08:14.Northumbria Police has rejected ever single request it has made for the
:08:15. > :08:21.derby games to be played after 1.30pm. That refusal means they miss
:08:22. > :08:28.out on lucrative TV money. Both clubs say that the suggestion that
:08:29. > :08:32.the police do not have direct involvement in changing kick`off
:08:33. > :08:35.times as absurd. Geniune football fans say they are
:08:36. > :08:39.the ones punished and branded hooligans because of the behaviour
:08:40. > :08:46.of a minority and believe it is the police who have the ultimate power.
:08:47. > :08:59.Without a safety certificate, the match cannot go ahead. Although they
:09:00. > :09:03.maybe cannot impose the time, they could then not grant a safety
:09:04. > :09:06.certificate. The police have ultimate power over whether a match
:09:07. > :09:09.takes place. Northumbria Police says it is aware
:09:10. > :09:13.of the importance of the derby games, but its priority is to ensure
:09:14. > :09:16.the safety of both sets of supporters.
:09:17. > :09:26.Stuart joins me now. This is quite a major falling out. Any sign of a
:09:27. > :09:30.peace deal? I think we are close. Northumbria Police described the
:09:31. > :09:37.situation as regrettable. They are talking about the need to get round
:09:38. > :09:44.the table with the two clubs. It is a conversation about how the plan a
:09:45. > :09:48.safe match in the future, so we do not see the repeat of those scenes
:09:49. > :09:51.which started the clip. David Cameron has led tributes in
:09:52. > :09:54.the Commons to Captain Richard Holloway from County Durham, who
:09:55. > :09:57.died two days before Christmas while serving in Afghanistan. The Prime
:09:58. > :10:04.Minister said MPs' thoughts were with his family in the North East.
:10:05. > :10:09.He was tragically killed after being engaged in enemy fire in
:10:10. > :10:13.Afghanistan. He was a highly respected soldier and our deepest
:10:14. > :10:19.sympathies and condolences should be with those parents, brother and
:10:20. > :10:24.girlfriends. It is a risk to health and every day
:10:25. > :10:28.it pollutes the River Tyne, but now a plan to clean it up is on hold
:10:29. > :10:33.because the government has cut the money to pay for the work. Councils
:10:34. > :10:36.have been told they will no longer get cash to cleanse some old
:10:37. > :10:39.industrial sites and that means places like the former St Anthony's
:10:40. > :10:43.Tar Works in Newcastle will continue polluting.
:10:44. > :10:47.It was abandoned in 1983, an old tar works by the Tyne, yet 30 years on,
:10:48. > :10:53.the legacy is still with us. At low tide every day, tar seeps up from
:10:54. > :10:58.the site and pollutes the river. The city council says it is a risk to
:10:59. > :11:07.health, but now a government fund to pay for clean`ups has been scrapped
:11:08. > :11:12.and it is left to carry on leaking. Twice a day, you get it coming up
:11:13. > :11:22.into the surface and polluting the river. It is estimated there is
:11:23. > :11:28.about ten litres of coal tar every low tide going in the air. We tend
:11:29. > :11:34.to wear masks now when we deal with it. You can smell it from here
:11:35. > :11:37.Andrew workers report getting headaches.
:11:38. > :11:41.The cost of putting this right is about ?2m. Councils used to get cash
:11:42. > :11:46.from the Government department DEFRA. It is still the local
:11:47. > :11:50.authority's responsibility to deal with it, so the council is breaching
:11:51. > :11:53.its obligations, but it says it cannot afford it without government
:11:54. > :11:56.support, so it is in limbo. The council did get ?400,000 to
:11:57. > :11:59.investigate the problem, only for the cash to dry up when it came to
:12:00. > :12:01.solving it. Funding for cleaning up contaminated
:12:02. > :12:05.land nationally fell from ?17.5m in 2009/10 to just ?2m this year. There
:12:06. > :12:08.will still be money for "absolute emergencies". The government says it
:12:09. > :12:11.is regrettable, but necessary, and councils should now prioritise the
:12:12. > :12:21."highest risk" sites. Some are worried. I will raise this as a
:12:22. > :12:30.matter of urgency. I want the site cleared up. Central government has a
:12:31. > :12:39.responsibility to help the local authority pay for it. I have not
:12:40. > :12:43.fully succeeded, but I will have another go. In fact, Newcastle City
:12:44. > :12:46.Council has a legal obligation to put this right and, by doing
:12:47. > :12:49.nothing, could be prosecuted. Tonight, the Environment Agency told
:12:50. > :12:52.Look North while it could take action it's "first aim is to work
:12:53. > :13:00.with organisations to get sites cleaned`up rather than taking legal
:13:01. > :13:04.action". All But with no cash to do the clean up, it seems the remains
:13:05. > :13:14.of the old tar works will just carry on seeping into the Tyne.
:13:15. > :13:23.In just over eight months, something happens which could the change the
:13:24. > :13:27.face of Britain. Scottish voters will decide whether or not they want
:13:28. > :13:30.to live in an independent country. Northumberland and Cumbria share a
:13:31. > :13:36.108`mile border with Scotland and border communities often depend on
:13:37. > :13:40.Scottish services. But they'll still have no say in the big vote.So for
:13:41. > :13:43.our Big Question this week, we ask would an Independent Scotland be a
:13:44. > :13:47.friend or foe for our region? One rural landscape, but two
:13:48. > :13:52.countries. Left of the river, Scotland, on the right, England.
:13:53. > :14:01.Farmer Dougie Watkin has land in both. 10% of the land is on the
:14:02. > :14:19.English side announces the side I live on. 90% of the land lies in
:14:20. > :14:22.Scotland. I suspect a few asp people right across here, they would
:14:23. > :14:26.probably consider themselves borders, rather than Scottish
:14:27. > :14:31.English, because they have such a fit in both countries. On September
:14:32. > :14:34.18, the people on the Scottish side of that water will be asked this
:14:35. > :14:50.question "should Scotland be an independent country?"
:14:51. > :14:55.What would an independent Scotland mean for us?
:14:56. > :14:58.As nature puts on a show for us at Flodden battlefield, it is a
:14:59. > :15:06.beautiful,peaceful scene, but the monument reminds us of a grim story
:15:07. > :15:09.just over 500 years ago. A story of conflict and carnage here between
:15:10. > :15:11.England and Scotland. These days landowner Lord Joicey works with his
:15:12. > :15:19.neighbours rather than battling them, but he worries about an
:15:20. > :15:26.independent Scotland. There is potential for being forgotten about.
:15:27. > :15:34.We're not particularly well served by London. We would be this little
:15:35. > :15:36.corner of England that would be forgotten about.
:15:37. > :15:39.20 miles north East, Berwick's walls, It is estimated the town's
:15:40. > :15:42.changed hands 13 times between England and Scotland, but this
:15:43. > :15:52.tourism boss is relaxed about an independent country. We are not
:15:53. > :15:58.anticipating much of the change. We work closely with businesses across
:15:59. > :16:06.the border. We have a lot of cross`country projects. I think a
:16:07. > :16:11.lot of Scots, in the same as people here, do not realise exactly what
:16:12. > :16:13.they have in this part of the world on their doorstep.
:16:14. > :16:17.But while newly independent Scots might spend there cash here,
:16:18. > :16:20.spending i a bit of a sore point. At the moment, government spending on
:16:21. > :16:30.people in the North East is ?9,419 per person. Compare that with
:16:31. > :16:38.Scotland's figure of ?10,152. Of course, we are used to different
:16:39. > :16:47.policies in Scotland in England. The likes of free prescription charges.
:16:48. > :16:51.The Scottish cup and has already talked about possibly reducing
:16:52. > :16:55.corporation tax. But what would all means year? Gavin Jones runs a
:16:56. > :16:58.hamper delivery business in Berwick. If an independent Scotland brought
:16:59. > :17:11.in more favourable business taxes, Gavin may up sticks. As we go down
:17:12. > :17:18.the track of this, the profit margin difference may mean that we would
:17:19. > :17:23.jump over the border. You could move from Berwick into Scotland? Yes, it
:17:24. > :17:28.is possible. On the border, the January light's
:17:29. > :17:31.fading. September seems a long way away. Just over eight months then
:17:32. > :17:36.for Scotland to decide and perhaps for those of us just on the other
:17:37. > :17:39.side of the border line to work out what it all means for us.
:17:40. > :17:43.And on tomorrow night's Look North, we'll hear from former North East
:17:44. > :17:52.residents living North of the border who will help decide Scotland's
:17:53. > :18:00.future. If they vote for independence, do we have two send
:18:01. > :18:06.Paul back? Oh, I had not thought about that. Maybe we will just have
:18:07. > :18:10.two tax him a little more! Sunderland are just one game away
:18:11. > :18:13.from a trip to Wembley, for the Capital One League Cup final. Last
:18:14. > :18:16.night's 2`1 win over Manchester United gives them something to hang
:18:17. > :18:20.on to, when they go to Old Trafford for the second leg, two weeks
:18:21. > :18:22.tonight. It's still a tall order for the Black Cats. But it's certainly
:18:23. > :18:41.not beyond them. Bottom of the division and we won!
:18:42. > :18:44.Strange thing isn't it. You do badly in the league and then do better in
:18:45. > :18:48.the cup. The last time Sunderland reached the
:18:49. > :18:52.League Cup final, back in 1985, they were relegated from the top flight
:18:53. > :18:55.just a few weeks later. But few fans were worrying about that bad omen,
:18:56. > :18:59.after putting one over the Premier League champions. If they are to
:19:00. > :19:02.make it to their first final in 22 years, they'll need to show the
:19:03. > :19:06.fighting spirit they did last night ` and hope they haven't used up
:19:07. > :19:10.their share of the breaks! Even at the age of 40, and after a lifetime
:19:11. > :19:14.in the game, Ryan Giggs has probably never known a match like this one!
:19:15. > :19:17.Having hit the bar, he then blocked a goal`bound shot from Adnan
:19:18. > :19:20.Juanuzaj and was in an offside position when the youngster hammered
:19:21. > :19:23.in the rebound. And just when he thought things couldn't get any
:19:24. > :19:25.worsee, they did. In first`half injury time former United team`mate
:19:26. > :19:29.Wes Brown turned Seb Larsson's free`kick across goal ` and it was
:19:30. > :19:32.Giggs who supplied the final touch ` his first own goal in a 23`year
:19:33. > :19:35.career. The lead was wiped out, seven minutes after the interval.
:19:36. > :19:39.Skipper Nemanja Vidic jumped highest at the far post, and most fans
:19:40. > :19:43.expected United to kick on from there. But on came Adam Johnson, a
:19:44. > :19:45.former City man, of course, and when he went down under Tom Cleverly's
:19:46. > :19:48.challenge, referee Andre Marriner went with his assistant's flag and
:19:49. > :19:52.pointed to the spot. Fabio Borini was the hero of Sunderland's derby
:19:53. > :19:55.win over Newcastle and their saviour in the previous round of the Capital
:19:56. > :20:03.Cup against Chelsea. Now he's given them a precious lead to take across
:20:04. > :20:08.the Pennines. We know it will be very difficult. But to have a
:20:09. > :20:14.chance, we had to take a lead back to Old Trafford. But will that
:20:15. > :20:17.advantage be enough to make it another miserable evening for these
:20:18. > :20:36.three United greats? We'll know in two weeks' time.
:20:37. > :20:41.He's just run right across Australia, but there was no escaping
:20:42. > :20:45.the boss today for the man better known as Run Geordie Run. Mark
:20:46. > :20:48.Allison returned to his day job as an IT Software Developer just two
:20:49. > :20:52.days after arriving back in the UK. So far he's raised tens of thousands
:20:53. > :20:54.of pounds for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children's
:20:55. > :20:57.Foundation. Amy Lea joined Mark's colleagues this morning for the
:20:58. > :21:01.office re`union. It's not your typical welcome back to work, but
:21:02. > :21:04.then again this is no typical man returning from no typical trip
:21:05. > :21:08.abroad. Mark Allison ` better known as Run Geordie Run ` had a bit of a
:21:09. > :21:17.surprise when he headed down to the canteen for his usual bacon sandwich
:21:18. > :21:21.this morning... I was a shy rather unhappy. It looked as if there was a
:21:22. > :21:25.huge queue in the canteen. It was last Saturday, just before midnight
:21:26. > :21:28.UK time, that this happened. Mark spent 82 days running from Perth to
:21:29. > :21:33.Shell Harbour ` covering distances of more than 40 miles every day.
:21:34. > :21:43.Meanwhile back in the UK ` his boss and his team ` were following his
:21:44. > :21:51.progress on social media. I think a few colleagues got very emotional
:21:52. > :21:54.about it. Run Geordie Run says he's looking forward to the weekend
:21:55. > :22:02.already, when he'll have his feet treated for the first time since
:22:03. > :22:06.arriving back in the UK. This is where he will be spending the
:22:07. > :22:11.foreseeable future. He will be back at his desk working hard. The money
:22:12. > :22:31.he has raised has now raised over ?50,000. Amazing. That was a very
:22:32. > :22:40.well deserved bacon sandwich! Time to look skywards this week as it's
:22:41. > :22:44.BBC Stargazing Live. Northumberland was recently named the best place in
:22:45. > :22:48.England to see the wonders of the night sky. But what happens if you
:22:49. > :22:52.live in town ` what can you see in the heavens WITHOUT any specialist
:22:53. > :22:55.gear? Hannah Bayman has three winter wonders you can enjoy anywhere in
:22:56. > :22:59.our region..Night falls over the city. The stars come out but so do
:23:00. > :23:03.the street lights. Don't despair. Let your eyes get used to the dark
:23:04. > :23:11.for half an hour and there is still plenty you can see in town. The
:23:12. > :23:15.moon. Our closest neighbour. If the right side is lit up, the moon is
:23:16. > :23:18.waxing or growing. If the right is dark, it's waning or getting
:23:19. > :23:22.smaller. The moon looks much bigger when it is low in the sky at
:23:23. > :23:25.moonrise. You can check moonrise times online. If you get a pair of
:23:26. > :23:32.binoculars and something to rest them on you will have an even better
:23:33. > :23:44.view. The darker patches are from extinct volcanoes, they are one
:23:45. > :23:51.other floors. The brightest caterers about 50 meals across. Orion. Look
:23:52. > :23:54.south ` the same direction that most satellite dishes face. Find these
:23:55. > :23:58.three stars in a row and you have found Orion the Hunter. Look at his
:23:59. > :24:02.top left shoulder. Even with your naked eye, you can see it has a
:24:03. > :24:06.reddish glow compared to the other stars. It is Betelgeuse, a red giant
:24:07. > :24:11.star that one day will explode as a supernova. In Newcastle's Times
:24:12. > :24:14.Square, enthusiasts are out doing pavement stargazing with passers`by.
:24:15. > :24:21.For sixteen`year`old Matthew it's a chance to raise donations for a
:24:22. > :24:33.World Challenge trip to India. It is quite satisfying. You get to see the
:24:34. > :24:42.moon up close. You always also get a very good reaction when people see
:24:43. > :24:47.Saturn for the first time. You do not need to go near the countryside
:24:48. > :24:54.to do astronomy. You can see the likes of the moon, Jupiter. The
:24:55. > :24:59.giant planet, shining more brightly than any star. It will be dominating
:25:00. > :25:02.our night skies for the first few months of this New Year. With
:25:03. > :25:16.binoculars, you can often see its largest moons. And tomorrow, there
:25:17. > :25:25.are such ads of seeing the Northern lights. And if you can get away from
:25:26. > :25:29.street lights, tomorrow night there is a chance of seeing the Northern
:25:30. > :25:33.Lights after a solar storm yesterday. And for more on what you
:25:34. > :25:35.can see in the night sky, BBC Stargazing Live is back tonight and
:25:36. > :25:47.tomorrow at 8pm on BBC Two. Now, I am afraid you will not need
:25:48. > :25:55.the telescope to see the bad weather! Thank you to you and cook
:25:56. > :26:01.for this photograph. It is going downhill tonight. Cloud is building
:26:02. > :26:08.up. Most others will see some rain. There could also be some hill snow
:26:09. > :26:18.over higher ground. This rain is pitching in from the hall of the
:26:19. > :26:26.region. There could be some snow on very high levels. Overnight
:26:27. > :26:35.temperatures remaining very male, however. Tomorrow morning, the rain
:26:36. > :26:39.begins to ease off once the get up tomorrow morning. Some bright spells
:26:40. > :26:42.for many as we start tomorrow. Isolated showers pushing in again
:26:43. > :26:49.from the West during the course of the afternoon. Temperatures rather
:26:50. > :26:57.all, only up to six or seven Celsius. You can see this Reg of
:26:58. > :27:03.high`pressure, so that is going to be with us tomorrow night, so that
:27:04. > :27:11.should help the people who fancied easing at the stars. It could also
:27:12. > :27:16.remain dry for much of the weekend before this other opiate pressure,
:27:17. > :27:22.which we can see just at the edge of the map in the middle of the
:27:23. > :27:30.Atlantique, pushes them. So, Friday, he bit of rain, but looking better
:27:31. > :27:35.for the weekend. After tonight 's rain and hill snow, it should remain
:27:36. > :27:42.largely dry for most of us for the next few days. And that is all for
:27:43. > :27:44.now. Join is again after the BBC ten o'clock news. Goodbye for now.