:00:00. > :00:15.showers in the west and south. That's all from the
:00:16. > :00:21.The headlines: The biggest active role in the north`east now pick up
:00:22. > :00:26.disabled passengers. Another really has closed in Cumbria. Find out
:00:27. > :00:32.which councils cannot resist the rise. And, the seal of approval.
:00:33. > :00:36.Rescued from the river and return to the sea. In team talk, seen
:00:37. > :00:46.opposition, same result. Premier League, a hat trick for
:00:47. > :00:47.Johnson as Sunderland move off the bottom. But controversy at
:00:48. > :01:14.Newcastle. The biggest taxi company in the
:01:15. > :01:17.North East performed a dramatic U`turn today. Initially, Boro Taxis
:01:18. > :01:20.of Middlesbrough told the BBC they'd refuse to pick up people in
:01:21. > :01:23.wheelchairs, after the council warned them last week that it was
:01:24. > :01:26.wrong to charge the disabled more than everyone else. But the firm
:01:27. > :01:30.said they'd now subsidise any additional costs. The change of mind
:01:31. > :01:32.followed an online petition to boycott the firm's taxis which
:01:33. > :01:34.attracted 14,000 supporters. Jeannette Hammerton was recently
:01:35. > :01:38.pushed three miles by her husband because she couldn't get a taxi firm
:01:39. > :01:42.to give her a lit. Ron Carter Bonsteel said he was so often
:01:43. > :01:50.overcharged for journeys that he now just accepts being discriminated
:01:51. > :01:55.against. It is not my fault. We are classed as second`class citizens
:01:56. > :01:58.because we are in a wheelchair. Boro Taxis said it could no longer
:01:59. > :02:02.pick up people in wheelchairs because it's a "specialist service"
:02:03. > :02:07.which costs it more to run. David Saha has worked for the
:02:08. > :02:10.company for 29 years. He says wheelchairs users have to be charged
:02:11. > :02:16.more, because the taxis used are more expensive and the jobs take
:02:17. > :02:23.longer. We have two strap the person in the
:02:24. > :02:31.vehicle safely. It might take the driver a long time to do that. He
:02:32. > :02:34.cannot afford to work for such a small amount of money.
:02:35. > :02:37.But the company's decision led to a public outcry. Over the weekend,
:02:38. > :03:03.14,000 people signed up to an online campaign to boycott the firm.
:03:04. > :03:08.Now the company has reversed its decision, even though it will lose
:03:09. > :03:12.money it says it will now subsidise the service and disabled passengers
:03:13. > :03:18.will now be charged the same fair regardless of the size of vehicle.
:03:19. > :03:20.Earlier I spoke to disability rights champion Baroness Tanni
:03:21. > :03:30.Grey`Thompson, who lives on Teesside, and I asked her what she
:03:31. > :03:34.made of Boro Taxi's U`turn. It highlights that there is a
:03:35. > :03:37.problem with disabled people and especially wheelchair users getting
:03:38. > :03:41.picked up by taxi drivers all over the country. The publicity was not
:03:42. > :03:49.great, but the fact that the council and the taxi company will sort this
:03:50. > :03:51.out is something positive. We don't want taxi drivers to lose money but
:03:52. > :03:57.it is wrong if wheelchair users are being refused the ability to use
:03:58. > :04:03.cars in the local area. Does it perhaps cost more to assist
:04:04. > :04:09.wheelchair users? I think that may be true if it is a
:04:10. > :04:13.minibus, and people choose to use minibuses because you can carry more
:04:14. > :04:20.people, but that is not the case for a wheelchair adapted vehicles. There
:04:21. > :04:25.are taxes around the country that provide this service. One of the
:04:26. > :04:32.issues is legislation is likely out of date on this. The disability
:04:33. > :04:39.discrimination act, transport was never the strong as part of that. It
:04:40. > :04:47.is not about whether it is legally right, but morally right. What has
:04:48. > :04:51.happened over the weekend has really highlighted some of the problems
:04:52. > :04:56.that exist. Have you experienced similar
:04:57. > :05:00.problems? Yes, in London and the rest of the
:05:01. > :05:05.country. Perhaps taxi drivers have driven past three and have ignored
:05:06. > :05:16.me. But that is happening less and less. We have two make this better
:05:17. > :05:29.for everyone. Thank you.
:05:30. > :05:34.An inquest in Sunderland has heard how an elderly man stabbed his wife
:05:35. > :05:38.to death, before killing himself. The bodies of James Stokoe and his
:05:39. > :05:41.wife, May ` who were both 79 ` were found in their home in Castletown
:05:42. > :05:44.last summer. Today's inquest heard Mr Stokoe had been diagnosed with
:05:45. > :05:48.cancer, and had attempted to commit suicide a few months earlier.
:05:49. > :05:51.There was good news and bad news for rail commuters in Cumbria today. The
:05:52. > :05:53.coastal route from Carlisle to Maryport, undermined by coastal
:05:54. > :05:56.flooding two weeks ago, reopened. But the West Coast Mainline was
:05:57. > :05:59.closed until this afternoon after two freight trains collided near
:06:00. > :06:02.Penrith. The trains were being used for track maintenance.
:06:03. > :06:05.More rail disruption for Cumbria. A freight train carrying ballast to
:06:06. > :06:08.renew points at Penrith crashed into the back of another freight train on
:06:09. > :06:12.Sunday afternoon, derailing part of both of them. The line between the
:06:13. > :06:20.town and Carlisle was closed for 24 hours whilst the trains were removed
:06:21. > :06:24.and the tracks repaired. Rail users are being reassured that the line is
:06:25. > :06:27.safe. It's a totally different method of
:06:28. > :06:29.operation for passenger trains, passenger trains work with an
:06:30. > :06:32.electronic signalling system. When trains are working in close
:06:33. > :06:35.proximity to an engineering works site, it is controlled by different
:06:36. > :06:43.procedures. So, a totally different method from passenger operations.
:06:44. > :06:46.Can I deduce from that, that it is human error, then?
:06:47. > :06:48.We need to do the full investigation.
:06:49. > :06:51.But on the whole, it was humans managing the system rather than a
:06:52. > :06:56.machine that is to blame? That's correct. The operation on
:06:57. > :07:00.site was a human process following procedures. We
:07:01. > :07:04.the problems with that which led to this low speed
:07:05. > :07:11.coastal rail route was finally reopened. Tracks at Flimby had been
:07:12. > :07:15.washed away during to the recent high tides and strong winds. The
:07:16. > :07:17.line was closed from Carlisle to Maryport whilst the sea defences
:07:18. > :07:23.were rebuilt and the tracks replaced. The repairs near Penrith
:07:24. > :07:26.were far less complicated. Fortunately, the crash happened at
:07:27. > :07:29.low speed, leaving only one of the drivers with minor injuries. But two
:07:30. > :07:41.investigations will be held now to try to work out what happened.
:07:42. > :07:46.The Government says it's providing money to freeze council tax this
:07:47. > :07:49.year. Yet it seems the majority of the North East and Cumbria's
:07:50. > :07:55.councils are planning to put bills up. They say the help on offer isn't
:07:56. > :07:59.enough, as it's equivalent to just a 1% council tax rise. But ministers
:08:00. > :08:01.insist the taxpayer should be put first.
:08:02. > :08:03.It's all smiles at this children's centre in Blaydon. But there's a
:08:04. > :08:06.threat. Gateshead Council is considering halving its Sure Start
:08:07. > :08:12.budget. Parents fear that could close centres like this.
:08:13. > :08:16.Mums who have used the centre in the past and have second babies on the
:08:17. > :08:20.way, like myself, are just panicking and thinking "goodness, what are we
:08:21. > :08:25.going to do?". At a time when I really need it, the service that I
:08:26. > :08:30.rely on most is at risk. Gateshead Council says the cut could
:08:31. > :08:34.help it save ?45 million. But it is also asking whether people might be
:08:35. > :08:34.prepared to pay more council tax to protect services.
:08:35. > :08:41.Well, I'd rather pay less. Maybe a small amount, yeah, just to
:08:42. > :08:44.keep care in the community going. If services were worth it, I would
:08:45. > :08:46.be prepared to pay. I think we pay enough already, I'm
:08:47. > :08:57.struggling as it is. Some councils, though, say bills
:08:58. > :09:02.will have to go up. Darlington is planning a 2% rise. It won't stop
:09:03. > :09:06.all the cuts. This railway museum will still lose its funding in two
:09:07. > :09:10.years' time. But the council says the increase will make a difference.
:09:11. > :09:13.It's a lot on top of the other charges that people are facing, I'm
:09:14. > :09:16.acutely aware of that. But the alternative is that something like
:09:17. > :09:20.60% of current spending goes on adult social care, so there is no
:09:21. > :09:24.way we can bring the budget in without affecting areas where people
:09:25. > :09:29.don't want us to make a cut. We need that revenue.
:09:30. > :09:32.That won't please Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles. He insists
:09:33. > :09:38.councils have enough funds to freeze bills. So he might be pretty steamed
:09:39. > :09:43.up when he sees what most have planned. Durham, North Yorkshire,
:09:44. > :09:45.Cumbria, Carlisle, Copeland, Allerdale, Northumberland,
:09:46. > :09:48.Middlesbrough, and Redcar and Cleveland are all considering a
:09:49. > :09:51.similar rise of 2% or just below. Only Hartlepool, Newcastle and North
:09:52. > :10:03.Tyneside have so far committed to freeze.
:10:04. > :10:05.The BBC has learned that in the past five years, schools across the North
:10:06. > :10:11.East have contacted about a child's welfare. BBC
:10:12. > :10:14.Newcastle obtained the information through a freedom of information
:10:15. > :10:17.request. It shows in the past school year alone, social services were
:10:18. > :10:23.contacted by teachers in the region on average 150 times a week.
:10:24. > :10:28.Our health reporter Sharon Barbour has been looking at the findings,
:10:29. > :10:32.and joins me now. 20,000 sounds a huge number, but do
:10:33. > :10:35.we know how serious their concerns were?
:10:36. > :10:42.It is a large number and is going up rapidly. There has been a hundred
:10:43. > :10:48.percent rise. Many teachers and schools of contacted social services
:10:49. > :10:52.about a child. The calls can be about anything from suspected abuse
:10:53. > :11:03.to neglect or even about food in their lunchboxes. We spoke earlier
:11:04. > :11:07.to a children's charity. There could be a range of different
:11:08. > :11:10.reasons why a child is referred to social services. It isn't always
:11:11. > :11:13.because somebody is worried about the safety or concerns about
:11:14. > :11:16.neglect. But there are obviously a number of issues families may have
:11:17. > :11:24.some difficulty coping with. What is the main problem?
:11:25. > :11:29.One problem is increased financial pressure. We have just heard that
:11:30. > :11:34.it's a council is considering halving its budget and financial
:11:35. > :11:44.pressures on families are causing problems. Also, high`profile cases
:11:45. > :11:52.are flagging this up. Earlier, we spoke to the same charity.
:11:53. > :11:56.The earlier you get in to a family, the more likely you are to resolve
:11:57. > :11:59.the crisis and the less likely you are to need more formal systems,
:12:00. > :12:03.like child protection. While this sounds worrying, some
:12:04. > :12:09.councils say that this may actually be a good thing. Because teachers
:12:10. > :12:16.are being encouraged to flag up concerns. At the end of the day, the
:12:17. > :12:19.safety of the child is crucial. A fire that began at a carpet
:12:20. > :12:23.recycling plant in Northumberland almost five months ago is still
:12:24. > :12:26.burning. But it should finally be put out in the next three weeks.
:12:27. > :12:30.Last Friday, David Cameron said he would take a personal interest in
:12:31. > :12:33.making sure the waste from the fire at Thrunton was urgently removed.
:12:34. > :12:35.The issue had been raised by Berwick`upon`Tweed's Liberal
:12:36. > :12:38.Democrat MP, Sir Alan Beith, during Prime Minister's Questions. Now the
:12:39. > :12:41.Environment Agency has served an enforcement notice on the owner of
:12:42. > :12:47.Blackwater North East ` where the fire started, last September.
:12:48. > :12:50.Almost five months on and this fire at Thrunton near Alnwick is still
:12:51. > :12:56.burning. The reason? This former brick works site is close to the
:12:57. > :13:00.village's natural water supply. Putting the fire out could
:13:01. > :13:07.contaminate the water forever. Nearby the residents say they're
:13:08. > :13:12.affected daily. Everybody is just fed up with it
:13:13. > :13:13.all. It is getting us all down. We just want our lives back.
:13:14. > :13:22.Today residents heard of progress. This newsletter informs residents
:13:23. > :13:25.that around two thirds of the burning material has now been
:13:26. > :13:31.extinguished. The best estimate is it could be three weeks before this
:13:32. > :13:36.fire is out. Environment Agency tests have shown that waste is
:13:37. > :13:40.nonhazardous. It means that there are no cleaner options to manage the
:13:41. > :13:43.large piles of waste remaining. An Environment Agency enforcement
:13:44. > :13:47.notice has been served on the site operator meaning the waste must be
:13:48. > :13:56.removed from the site or stored more securely ` within a six week
:13:57. > :14:00.deadline. We will insist that the operator
:14:01. > :14:04.provides us with details about exactly when and how this material
:14:05. > :14:13.will be removed. We will monitor that. Ultimately, if they do not
:14:14. > :14:20.comply with this notice they could face prosecution. I have been
:14:21. > :14:25.working now for five months and we want to see things happening. Once a
:14:26. > :14:29.truck comes out of the brickworks loaded with the extinguished
:14:30. > :14:38.material then we will be feeling a lot better.
:14:39. > :14:43.You're watching Look North. Still to come: quite a few talking points in
:14:44. > :14:44.Team Talk after the weekend's football including THAT disallowed
:14:45. > :14:57.goal. weather`wise. Some weather
:14:58. > :15:12.warnings. Join me later. More sport now ` with some
:15:13. > :15:14.spectacular goals and a fair amount of controversy in this week's Team
:15:15. > :15:23.Talk. There was so much action, on and off
:15:24. > :15:27.the field. We could talk about the Newcastle`Manchester City game all
:15:28. > :15:28.night, but we'll come to that in a moment.
:15:29. > :15:31.The result of the weekend was undoubtedly Sunderland's 4`1 win at
:15:32. > :15:34.Fulham. Not just a great performance, it also lifted the
:15:35. > :15:38.Black Cats off the bottom of the Premier League table and they're
:15:39. > :15:44.only a couple of wins away from tenth.
:15:45. > :15:48.A magic display from Adam Johnson, who's terrific form in the past
:15:49. > :15:50.couple of weeks has put him back in the frame for a place in England's
:15:51. > :16:22.World Cup squad this summer. Also a call from this player who is
:16:23. > :16:42.on loan from Swansea. A real discovery for Sunderland this
:16:43. > :16:50.season. He must be the number one keeper now.
:16:51. > :16:54.It's massive for us, and especially for the other teams, I think there
:16:55. > :16:59.are going to be a few people looking over their shoulder. I think that's
:17:00. > :17:03.great, we had nothing to lose, we were bottom and everyone said we
:17:04. > :17:05.were adrift and now we are confident and showed today that we can be a
:17:06. > :17:08.force. Well if Sunderland's victory was the
:17:09. > :17:12.performance of the Premier League weekend, the biggest talking points
:17:13. > :17:14.were to be found at St James's Park yesterday.
:17:15. > :17:17.Yes, two main ones ` both branded "disgraceful" by some media outlets.
:17:18. > :17:20.Alan Pardew's touchline rant in a moment but first THAT incident which
:17:21. > :17:26.would have brought Newcastle level at 1`1 with Man City. Referee Mike
:17:27. > :17:29.Jones disallowed Cheick Tiote's goal because he thought Yoan Gouffran,
:17:30. > :17:32.who was in an offside position, was interfering with play, which he
:17:33. > :17:51.clearly wasn't and he wasn't obstructing Joe Hart's view either.
:17:52. > :17:52.It was the referee's call. Here we can see an identical goalless jeer
:17:53. > :18:02.and that was allowed. can see an identical goalless jeer
:18:03. > :18:07.He's not interfering with Joe Hart's vision, in fact it goes on the
:18:08. > :18:10.inside of him, and in fact the Man City players are impairing Joe's
:18:11. > :18:14.vision. It is a tiny, technical matter that he's talking about here
:18:15. > :18:30.and to chalk a goal of that quality takes some doing.
:18:31. > :18:57.This was a quality goal. Newcastle matched them.
:18:58. > :18:58.Not such great news for Newcastle. Newcastle have now lost four in a
:18:59. > :19:17.row. The FA are not taking any action
:19:18. > :19:20.they are. And late this afternoon Norwich
:19:21. > :19:26.announced that Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez is joining them on
:19:27. > :19:28.loan until June. In the Championship, apart from
:19:29. > :19:32.top`of`the`table Leicester, Middlesbrough are the form side at
:19:33. > :19:33.the moment having won four of their last five games.
:19:34. > :19:38.The victory over Blackpool after late goals from Mustafa Carayol
:19:39. > :19:44.means Boro are now just six points off the playoff places. After taking
:19:45. > :19:47.a month to settle in it seems Aitor Karanka is turning things around at
:19:48. > :19:51.the Riverside. There were a couple of little tests for goalkeeper Shay
:19:52. > :19:55.Given and Boro had this shot cleared off the line but it wasn't until six
:19:56. > :19:59.minutes from time that they broke the deadlock when Carayol set off
:20:00. > :20:05.down the wing to fire in this shot from 20 yards. The Gambian's second
:20:06. > :20:08.goal three minutes into injury time means Boro haven't lost in the
:20:09. > :20:16.league since December 21st and they're at home to struggling
:20:17. > :20:20.Charlton next ` worth dancing about! Not such good times for Carlisle
:20:21. > :20:23.though ` the Blues are just three points off the League One relegation
:20:24. > :20:27.zone after their second thumping of the season at the hands of Leyton
:20:28. > :20:31.Orient. Not 5`1 this time but still 4`0. Orient are currently on course
:20:32. > :20:34.for promotion. Two second`half goals in two minutes
:20:35. > :20:37.sealed York City's victory over Northampton ` the first from Ryan
:20:38. > :20:40.Bowman who headed in Josh Carson's cross was swiftly followed by a
:20:41. > :20:44.penalty from Wes Fletcher after Michael Coulson was brought down in
:20:45. > :20:49.the box. Three wins in a row have pulled the Minstermen well away from
:20:50. > :20:52.the relegation zone. That result puts York above
:20:53. > :20:54.Hartlepool on goal difference after Pools suffered their second
:20:55. > :20:56.consecutive 3`0 defeat at Victoria Park ` this time against promotion
:20:57. > :21:07.chasing Rochdale. And tonight's Inside Out looks at
:21:08. > :21:10.the continuing appeal of amateur football ` for fans and players. It
:21:11. > :21:14.follows former Middlesbrough player George Friend as he prepares to run
:21:15. > :21:23.out for Shildon AFC. That's at 7.30pm here on BBC One.
:21:24. > :21:26.Basketball: commiserations to Newcastle Eagles who for the second
:21:27. > :21:29.year running lost to Leicester Riders in the BBL Cup yesterday
:21:30. > :21:33.despite being just a couple of minutes from victory. A couple of
:21:34. > :21:36.minutes can be a long time in basketball though. The Eagles were
:21:37. > :21:39.leading by 11 points with four minutes left on the clock thanks in
:21:40. > :21:43.large part to Charles Smith who fired in 27 points for Newcastle.
:21:44. > :21:46.But former Eagles star Drew Sullivan inspired his Leicester Riders side
:21:47. > :21:50.to an dramatic comeback scoring 11 points in a row and finished with a
:21:51. > :22:03.double to land the Most Valuable Player Award.
:22:04. > :22:07.England's women showed the men how it should be done winning their
:22:08. > :22:10.Ashes Test Match against Australia in Perth. The team which included
:22:11. > :22:13.spin bowler Danielle Hazell from Durham dismissed Australia for 123
:22:14. > :22:14.in their second innings ` her Yorkshire team`mate Katherine Brunt
:22:15. > :22:30.taking the final wicket. They should've been playing for the
:22:31. > :22:35.men! He ` or she ` was lost a long way
:22:36. > :22:39.from home, so the Search and Rescue team was called out to save the day.
:22:40. > :22:45.But this wasn't a hill walker or a canoeist. It was a SEAL that
:22:46. > :22:52.became marooned in a Cumbrian farmer's field. These men faced many
:22:53. > :22:56.challenges during their years with the Morecambe Bay Search and Rescue
:22:57. > :23:02.team. This weekend came one of their most unusual to date.
:23:03. > :23:09.The seal had been reported near Appleby and they wanted somebody
:23:10. > :23:12.with a vehicle to transport it. To release back in the sea, if we could
:23:13. > :23:15.catch it. They made their way to a field near
:23:16. > :23:22.Appleby were they eventually found this. A young seal a long way from
:23:23. > :23:32.home. It is believed the animal must have made its way into the river at
:23:33. > :23:37.this location. They reckon he must have swum around 50 miles to get
:23:38. > :23:45.that far. He was in no hurry to leave, in fact he was far from
:23:46. > :23:49.pleased to see his rescuers. Seals can have a vicious nature, despite
:23:50. > :23:56.their cuddly appearance. They have large eyes and you have a desire to
:23:57. > :24:02.pat it on the head but it would take off your fingers because they are
:24:03. > :24:12.like an Alsatian. It was like a shark, trying to bite everybody! We
:24:13. > :24:22.were all safe in the end. They did eventually coaxed the
:24:23. > :24:28.animal into a special container. The seal wandered down the beach and
:24:29. > :24:29.off it went. After his incredible journey, he is back where he
:24:30. > :24:48.belongs. That would've been a nice warm
:24:49. > :25:07.journey. It is still the middle of January.
:25:08. > :25:23.Thank you for this image. January sunset here. We have a Met Office
:25:24. > :25:31.warning for ice in effect. We have a band of showers working its way from
:25:32. > :25:35.West to East. As the showers clear away, things will turn cold.
:25:36. > :25:46.Temperatures staying just above freezing. We may see some icy
:25:47. > :25:56.stretches forming. We may have some fog and mist. That could be
:25:57. > :25:58.slaughtered clear tomorrow morning, but most places will be dry. Some
:25:59. > :26:05.bright spells in the middle of the day before the next band of rain
:26:06. > :26:12.arrives. Top temperature tomorrow afternoon is seven Celsius. With the
:26:13. > :26:21.freshening southerly breeze, it will feel colder than that. This weather
:26:22. > :26:30.system hangs around through Wednesday. A quiet spell on
:26:31. > :26:37.Thursday. Then the showers merged together again on Friday. It will be
:26:38. > :26:48.cold enough for a touch of frost over the next couple of nights. Rain
:26:49. > :26:55.returning on Friday. Winds are southerly, so temperatures not doing
:26:56. > :27:17.too badly. Further east, the rain will be less widespread.
:27:18. > :27:24.Thank you very much. I like the weather pictures. Goodbye.