05/02/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Good evening. One of the biggest flood defence projects in the region

is millions of pounds over budget and running late. It's five years

since Morpeth in Northumberland was deluged and a thousand homes were

flooded. The town won a battle for new flood defences, but residents

fear they could be flooded again before the work's finished. Sharon

Barbour reports. Paul Gillie's B B in Morpeth has

been flooded twice ` in 2008 and again in 2012.

He's among residents here fed`up that a flood defence scheme to

protect his home still hasn't been completed. They need to be pulling

their finger out and getting on with it. There is no excuse for them

being this late over. I don't accept any of their excuses for why they

are not finished. We have had some delays in building the world in the

town. So in terms of the flood defence scheme, are they working? By

the autumn, by November we are expecting them to be complete. ``

building the walls. The project is now ?3 million over budget. Costs

are likely to be higher than originally planned, but how much, we

don't know. A few percent in the overall budget at the start. Three

million on top of 21 million is closer to 10% extra cost. It is.

Well, Sharon joins us now in our newsroom. So these defences are late

and over`budget ` what has gone wrong? Firstly, I should say that

the budget could be overrunning by up to 14%. What has gone wrong? The

Environment Agency and make that the building of the defence walls has

been late, they have been held up with service problems and also

gardens access. The whole project should be finished by November. As

regards the cost, it has been really complicated, especially with

building a huge reservoir. With the change needed to the height of that

reservoir, that has really added to the price. ?3 million over budget so

far, we believe, money that has to be found by Northumberland County

Council and the Environment Agency, both of those organisations already

in financial trouble, financially stressed. I expect there is going to

be a few sleepless nights ahead. Thank you.

The Prime Minister has promised Government support for the police

inquiry into allegations of physical and sexual abuse at a Medomsley

Youth Detention Centre in County Durham. More than 200 men have now

come forward after last week's revelations on BBC Inside Out about

brutality at the centre, as Dan Farthing reports. Since Inside Out

broadcast shocking revelations about the years of abuse at Medomsley, 232

potential new victims have contacted the police and they believe there

could be more to come. I am delighted that they have had the

confidence in Durham Police to come forward and tell us their story. But

I am saddened by the fact that so many people have had a bad

experience at Medomsley. Kevin Champley from Teesside is one of the

scores who've come forward. There was physical abuse every day. You

were forced to fight other boys. Sort of like in gladiatorial

tournaments for the amusement of officers. The first time I seen a

dead body was in Medomsley. It was in a cell. To men have already been

jailed for raping boys at the youth jail. They've both since died. The

priority is the victims. We have to give people a chance to talk, and

work our way through the victims. My priority is them. We will be talking

to suspects later in the year. And Medomsley took on a new political

dimension today, as the Prime Minister guaranteed Government

support for what has become Durham Police's biggest ever inquiry. Some

of our smallest police forces are hugely capable but when they are

doing large and complex investigations like this, on

occasion they need help and support so we should make sure that is

available. The And that support could well be needed as hard cash `

as the police inquiry will continue for months to come and is expected

to cost many millions. A man presumed dead after falling

overboard from a cruise ship in the South Atlantic has been identified

as Wearside journalist Bob Horn. Mr Horn, who was 69, was for decades

the Houghton`le`Spring reporter for the Sunderland Echo. He fell from

the ship shortly after it left the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.

Developers behind controversial plans to build a wind farm near one

of the region's most famous landmarks are offering local people

?5,000 each to help them find a job. Banks Renewables wants to build five

giant wind turbines close to Roseberry Topping, near Guisborough

in east Cleveland. They say the wind farm will benefit the community, and

today they announced a scheme to help people living nearby take up a

new job, training or an apprenticeship. But those opposed to

the plans are not convinced. If you get an apprenticeship, a local

employer was to take on a young person or somebody, then they get up

to 5000 pounds to put towards that salary. It will destroy tourism

revenue and a house prices will fall in the area.

The BBC's annual North East Sports Awards took place tonight at the

Billingham Forum Leisure Centre. We've been celebrating a remarkable

year of sport for the North East, with top`class athletics at

Gateshead, and the Ashes test match coming to Chester`le`Street for the

first time. Hundreds of sports fans were there tonight to see some of

the region's top performers. The top prize ` Sports Personality of the

Year ` went to Darlington boxer Stuart Hall. He became the region's

first world champion in 25 years when he won the IBF world

bantamweight title. There's more on all the award

winners on BBC Tees tomorrow ` and, of course, there'll be a full report

in Look North. Well, that's all from me tonight.

The national weather forecast is coming up ` but first, here's Paul

Mooney with the weather for our region.

The national weather forecast is Thank you. After a wet and

Windygates Road most of us today, tomorrow looks a little bit quieter.

`` after a wet and windy day for most of us. There will be some drier

interludes tonight but when those showers, long, they could be on the

heavy side. Temperatures will not go any lower than five Celsius and as

the winds turn to south`westerly they will leave slightly. Tomorrow

morning, some showers will clear out way fairly quickly, most places dry

and by the afternoon a few bright spells appearing here and there.

Temperatures peaking at nine Celsius. It is not as windy as it

was today. More rain on way tomorrow night, that might take a little

while to clear. Most places will be dry before further wet and windy

weather spreads into the course of the weekend. In a moment, you will

get the full national forecast. I will leave you this evening with

tomorrow's summery for the North East and Cumbria.

As you have just heard, the little respite between one storm system and

another and