15/02/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

That's it for now. We're back with the late news

Good evening. The families of four rail workers killed in Cumbria are

claiming victory tonight in their ten year fight for improved safety.

Earlier today a memorial service was held to mark the tenth anniversary

of the Tebay Rail tragedy. At the service families heard new safety

measures could be introduced by June. Phil Connell reports. We are

here to remember our four colleagues and friends. On the outskirts of a

small Cumbrian village they gathered. Family, friends and

colleagues of those who died on February five and 2004. `` February

15. It is so hard to take. To think that

all of this was caused through greed. It is soul destroying. The

accident happened on this stretch of track as the men were working.

Without warning, hit by a runaway wagon which had no working brakes

and was loaded with 16 tonnes of steel. Ten years on, after a

determined fight by families, improved safety measures are now

being implemented by Network Rail. Secondary protection for workers is

set to be introduced later this year. Our focus is on making sure

that safety is at the heart of everything we do. We don't want

circumstances such as these. We know of over 300 similar incidents. But

thankfully nobody did. `` died. The families of those killed here how

that future accidents can be prevented. A 10`year fight to

improve rail safety. Four adults and three children have

escaped injury after a suspicious house fire in Stockton last night.

The police say a "flammable liquid" was thrown at the property on

Kingston Road around nine o'clock. Two men were seen running away

shortly afterwards. There are new calls for extra funds

and powers to be handed to our councils. The think tank IPPR

believes the fortunes of northern communities could be revived if

money currently spent in Whitehall on transport, housing and skills was

handed over to councils currently enduring big cuts. It also believes

city mayors for areas like Tyne and Wear and Teesside could help. It

could make a huge difference. Having stronger local government and

stronger local leaders can mean that you can get a fair share of the

resources that helps with economic investment. At the moment, it is

skewed towards London and the devolved nations.

More on that on the Sunday Politics tomorrow on BBC One at 11am.

Football now and Sunderland are through to the quarter finals of the

FA Cup after beating Southampton 1`0 at the Stadium of Light this

afternoon. Gus Poyet said he would rather lose this game than draw.

Fortunately for the Sunderland boss, Southampton played like they didn't

want to win. Nine changes for the Black Cats among them Craig Gardiner

who lit up a grey Wearside afternoon with this belter just after half

time. Poyet's heart would have been in his mouth late on when Ricky

Lambert contrived to miss when it seemed easier to score but

Sunderland held on to progress to the quarter finals with a 1`0 win. A

paltry crowd of just 16,000 but Sunderland's dream, if that's what

it is, of playing at Wembley in two cup finals this year, is still very

much on. In the Championship Middlesbrough

lost 1`0 to a ten man Watford. In League One Carlisle's match at

Crawley was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

Great results in League Two. Hartlepool 3`0 winners against

Newport. York beating Plymouth 4`0 away.

In the Conference Premier Gateshead were beaten 2`0 at Woking.

In Scotland Berwick drew at Elgin. `` lost.

Let's have the weather forecast now. We will see showers dying away

tonight. And the wind will ease down. A touch of Frost by tomorrow

morning. Temperatures overnight dropping back to three Celsius.

Sunday looks much better. We should cease and decent spells sunshine.

Feeling pleasant, temperatures at seven or eight Celsius. And that's

all from us. Goodbye. Hello, good evening, finally some

quieter weather on the way for the British Isles for the remainder of

this weekend, also somewhat for the week ahead. More on that in a

moment. Tonight, the biggest story is the winds continuing to ease

Into the small hours of Sunday, the winds will be light. Late showers

for Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. A lot of

groundwater around elsewhere with a wide spread rural frost predicted we

are looking at the prospect of patches of ice on Sunday. There is a

lot of sunshine to come throughout the day. With light winds it will

feel pleasant. Highs to Scotland and Northern Ireland of six or seven. To

the south, eight, nine or ten in the south-east of England. To the west,

showers will brush into Northern Ireland through the afternoon. High

pressure, as we move from Sunday into Monday, gives way to an area of

low pressure couldn't coming in from the Atlantic. This is nothing like

the bull's-eye beast we have been looking at in the last week, it s a

slacker affair. The wind will be lighter. That is what we are talking

about for the week ahead. Areas of low