:00:00. > :00:00.degrees. A bit of cloud and the risk of a few showers. That's
:00:00. > :00:11.The growing row over children's homes in a borough's leafy suburbs.
:00:12. > :00:16.The cycling charity which called in the police,
:00:17. > :00:21.after a man removed brambles and an old fence from their route.
:00:22. > :00:24.I honestly thought they were going to compliment me
:00:25. > :00:38.The million`pound payout for the railway museum
:00:39. > :00:43.Taking the oars as therapy for wounded service personnel.
:00:44. > :00:52.Durham's county cricketers plan to play a home game in Northumberland.
:00:53. > :00:56.And we meet the man behind the mic, who's been keeping north east
:00:57. > :01:05.speedway fans informed for the past 50 years.
:01:06. > :01:08.They are figures that may shock many.
:01:09. > :01:16.Look North has learned that it costs Stockton Council ?6 million
:01:17. > :01:19.a year to have vulnerable children cared for outside the borough.
:01:20. > :01:22.And it's costing Stockton more than half a million pounds to take care
:01:23. > :01:24.of just three children from one family.
:01:25. > :01:27.To tackle the problem of care costs, the council's bought three houses
:01:28. > :01:29.in upmarket suburbs, to turn into residential homes
:01:30. > :01:33.But, as we've previously reported, neighbours fear an increase
:01:34. > :01:37.Our reporter, Stuart Whincup, joins us tonight from Thorpe
:01:38. > :01:40.Thewles, one of the villages where a residential home will be opened.
:01:41. > :01:54.The first car home will be opened here later this summer. Let us show
:01:55. > :02:00.you around the village, just in front is the playground, children
:02:01. > :02:06.are playing football. Fields above. Beautifully maintained gardens.
:02:07. > :02:10.There are two village pubs. 100 people in this small village
:02:11. > :02:14.complained to the council, saying they did not want this care home and
:02:15. > :02:16.objected in the strongest terms. The objected in the strongest terms. The
:02:17. > :02:22.council went ahead, regardless. These are some
:02:23. > :02:25.of Stockton's most affluent areas. Some of these children might be
:02:26. > :02:30.very angry at the world and may They fear their homes could be
:02:31. > :02:34.damaged, their families harmed, if a handful of troubled teenagers
:02:35. > :02:37.move in to their village. You get stolen cars deposited
:02:38. > :02:41.at the end of the street. But Stockton Council says these
:02:42. > :02:45.homes are not for ?bad children?. And it'll mean she
:02:46. > :02:49.and others will no longer have to be sent away from the hometown to care
:02:50. > :02:52.homes across the country. It was quite scary
:02:53. > :02:57.because I didn't know anyone. Turning the three residential homes
:02:58. > :03:07.in Thorpe Thewels, Stillington and Hartburn
:03:08. > :03:09.into care homes will, the council says, be good for the children
:03:10. > :03:14.and save it vast sums of money. Currently, there are 35 children
:03:15. > :03:17.being looked after The council say it's costing
:03:18. > :03:21.a lot of money. ?6 million a year for those
:03:22. > :03:25.children outside of the area. One family which has three children
:03:26. > :03:28.in care is costing the council The most expensive child
:03:29. > :03:32.in council care is costing it over The consultation process should take
:03:33. > :03:48.place They say Stockton Council has been
:03:49. > :03:53.secretive, underhand and dishonest, after it bought the properties
:03:54. > :03:56.without telling people what they And in Stillington, they say it's
:03:57. > :04:03.ludicrous to place a care home They can jump over
:04:04. > :04:07.the fence where our children are There's windows that overlook
:04:08. > :04:11.the school. There could be abuse, or anything
:04:12. > :04:14.being thrown from the window. When we lived in Darlington,
:04:15. > :04:17.there was a hostel opened there. After a short while,
:04:18. > :04:19.it became a bail hostel, problems. I've got young kids
:04:20. > :04:39.of a certain age, The council stresses these children
:04:40. > :04:43.in care are not criminals and they deserve to live
:04:44. > :04:46.in the borough's best areas. Children looked after do not create
:04:47. > :04:49.lots of antisocial behaviour. Whilst there are some who have come
:04:50. > :04:52.from deprived areas, we do have children in care
:04:53. > :04:55.from affluent areas as well. Everyone deserves a chance,
:04:56. > :04:57.and given an opportunity to thrive And what will worry some is
:04:58. > :05:01.the property hunt goes on. Even though Stockton Council admits
:05:02. > :05:04.it's has almost spent its ?2.3 million budget, and it will
:05:05. > :05:07.have to seek more money. It's now on the lookout
:05:08. > :05:13.for a fourth property. So, Stuart, when will we see the
:05:14. > :05:35.first new residential home opened? A number of people feel it is a
:05:36. > :05:40.formality. The council is stressing anybody could have bought this
:05:41. > :05:45.property or the other, set it up as a private business and operated it
:05:46. > :05:49.as a care home. Local people could not object. The council 's a local
:05:50. > :05:54.people should be reassured about their involvement. If there are any
:05:55. > :05:55.concerns to be raised with the council, the council will deal with
:05:56. > :06:03.it. Police in South Yorkshire say two
:06:04. > :06:06.prisoners from the North East are on the run, after absconding
:06:07. > :06:09.from an open prison in Doncaster. Damien Burns, who's 39 and from
:06:10. > :06:12.Scarborough, and Dean Jackson, 27, Burns, on the left, was serving
:06:13. > :06:16.time for knifepoint robbery. Jackson was
:06:17. > :06:17.on remand, awaiting sentencing The Justice Secretary,
:06:18. > :06:26.Chris Grayling, said: "I have already ordered immediate
:06:27. > :06:30.changes to tighten up the system Now,
:06:31. > :06:41.is he a good citizen or a thief? When Jim Higgins cleared up
:06:42. > :06:44.a cycle path near his home, he just He took out fencing,
:06:45. > :06:49.cut back brambles, and chopped His neighbours in Moor Row
:06:50. > :06:53.near Whitehaven loved it, But the landowners, a charity called
:06:54. > :06:57.Sustrans, said Jim's actions had actually cost them money, and that
:06:58. > :07:00.led to a call from the police. Jim Higgins built this bench out
:07:01. > :07:06.of trees he cut down whilst tidying
:07:07. > :07:08.a path next to his home. and took down a metal fence
:07:09. > :07:13.which he said was dangerous. But, seven weeks after he started
:07:14. > :07:16.the project in Moor Row, he's been
:07:17. > :07:19.visited by police over allegations I honestly thought they were coming
:07:20. > :07:25.up to compliment me on the work I
:07:26. > :07:31.had done. That is how crazy it is. The cycle path,
:07:32. > :07:34.which runs on the C2C route between Whitehaven and Ennerdale,
:07:35. > :07:43.is owned by the charity Sustrans. It is their job to maintain it. They
:07:44. > :07:46.weren't doing it. All the people using
:07:47. > :07:54.the track have commented Brambles, overgrown, damp,
:07:55. > :08:01.full of muddy, smelly water. He has really enhanced
:08:02. > :08:08.the area here. What a difference it has made to
:08:09. > :08:18.the community, it is lovely now. Sustrans said they will be leaving
:08:19. > :08:22.the bench in place, as they were only concerned
:08:23. > :08:27.whether it was robust enough. But, they said, they had reported
:08:28. > :08:30.the removal of 130 metres of iron fencing from the site to the
:08:31. > :08:35.police, to satisfy their insurers. I did take the fence down,
:08:36. > :08:40.I admit it. I did scrap it. It was rusty, old metal. It cost me
:08:41. > :08:48.more paying for help. Cumbria Police has confirmed
:08:49. > :08:52.it's investigating. a temporary fence has been put in
:08:53. > :09:15.place of the iron railings. I asked a representatives of
:09:16. > :09:21.Yes, the path was properly maintained.
:09:22. > :09:25.One of the difficulties we have as a charity is some people want to
:09:26. > :09:27.see the paths really clear of vegetation, everything
:09:28. > :09:33.Other people see the path as being more of a haven for natural habitat,
:09:34. > :09:37.We try to get that compromise between keeping the verges clear,
:09:38. > :09:40.but allowing the natural habitat, so that the wildlife can enjoy
:09:41. > :09:46.Was it necessary to involve the police?
:09:47. > :09:49.It was necessary because what we were presented with was 130 metres
:09:50. > :09:57.And what had been left was metal spikes where
:09:58. > :10:06.So we have had to spend money in replacing the fencing, making good
:10:07. > :10:10.And metal theft is a serious problem in this country.
:10:11. > :10:14.We did need to report it to the police.
:10:15. > :10:17.Do you worry this could open up a can of worms for you,
:10:18. > :10:20.the residents taking things into their own hands and cutting
:10:21. > :10:27.We would encourage people to work with us.
:10:28. > :10:29.We had a fantastic team of volunteers across the country.
:10:30. > :10:32.We provide training, support to volunteers, so they can work on
:10:33. > :10:36.our land, gather new skills, and do this safely, and with regard to the
:10:37. > :10:45.What is the way forward in this case?
:10:46. > :10:49.I hope Mr Higgins will volunteer to work with us.
:10:50. > :11:03.What do you think? Join the debate on the Look North Facebook page.
:11:04. > :11:06.Now, the political parties have gone into the final lap
:11:07. > :11:08.of campaigning ahead of Thursday's European and local elections.
:11:09. > :11:11.And surprise, surprise, they're all confident of success.
:11:12. > :11:14.Today, Lib Dem deputy leader Sir Malcolm Bruce was in Redcar.
:11:15. > :11:16.But, although Nigel Farage, Ed Miliband
:11:17. > :11:19.and David Cameron have all visited the region during the campaign,
:11:20. > :11:24.However, the Lib Dems say they're not running away from the voters.
:11:25. > :11:36.Here's our political correspondent, Mark Denten.
:11:37. > :11:48.This firm makes labels. But this chap might need one himself, Sir
:11:49. > :11:53.Malcolm Bruce was here today, his boss conspicuous by his absence.
:11:54. > :11:59.You have to remember we have a lot of territory to cover. We have
:12:00. > :12:03.target seats. The point of having a deputy is you can cover the ground
:12:04. > :12:08.more effectively with two people. There are swathes of seats in the
:12:09. > :12:13.election where you are not standing. Have you given up?
:12:14. > :12:17.The truth is a party which has a track record in local government has
:12:18. > :12:20.two support those governments where we are fighting effectively. We
:12:21. > :12:28.would love to put candidates are across all the country.
:12:29. > :12:30.It looks like you have given up. It doesn't.
:12:31. > :12:36.We are concentrating on defending the seats we hold and bringing the
:12:37. > :12:40.seats we are strongly challenging. UKIP. Your leader has had some
:12:41. > :12:46.strong things to say about them. Saying it is the politics of blame.
:12:47. > :12:51.Isn't that insulting UKIP voters? We want people to think what they
:12:52. > :12:56.are voting for. And not be taken in by what they believe UKIP is rather
:12:57. > :13:00.than what it actually is. UKIP wants Britain out of the European Union.
:13:01. > :13:06.An area of the north`east of England, there are 156,000 jobs
:13:07. > :13:10.directly attributable to the EU. Companies have made it clear they
:13:11. > :13:15.will reconsider their investment in the UK were we to leave.
:13:16. > :13:18.This is an important election. A protest boat sending people who do
:13:19. > :13:24.not do the job and whose job is damaging to Britain and will
:13:25. > :13:28.prejudice Britain is not what you want.
:13:29. > :13:30.If the Lib Dems finish behind the Green Party, should Nick Clegg
:13:31. > :13:35.resign? No. It has happened before but I do
:13:36. > :13:40.not anticipate that. You fight your ground on what you believe in. The
:13:41. > :13:45.one thing Nick Clegg and all of us will say is we fought a clear,
:13:46. > :13:50.open, honest, pro`European position. If the country projects that it's
:13:51. > :13:56.not for us to change our position. We have to engage with people. The
:13:57. > :14:15.other parties say the Lib Dems are a spent force.
:14:16. > :14:16.I am the Lib Dems are showing their face on Teeside, their record is
:14:17. > :14:18.shameful. People feel betrayed. Tuition fees,
:14:19. > :14:20.bedroom tax, rising VAT. This much talked about economic recovery isn't
:14:21. > :14:23.affecting people here. People are living below the living wage. Their
:14:24. > :14:30.leader hasn't bothered to come to the region. They keep telling us
:14:31. > :14:35.everything is wonderful. They won't support our plans for reform or a
:14:36. > :14:42.referendum. Art any of them a turn on or turn off for the voters?
:14:43. > :14:45.We found out `` find out in a few days.
:14:46. > :14:48.Still to come, Jeff has the sport, plus:
:14:49. > :14:52.The National Rail Museum makes a million from the gathering
:14:53. > :15:00.Thundery showers are becoming more widespread. Join me for a detailed
:15:01. > :15:04.forecast later. The National Railway Museum built up
:15:05. > :15:08.a head of steam with the historic gathering of Mallard and its five
:15:09. > :15:10.surviving sister locomotives. Visitor numbers were at an all`time
:15:11. > :15:14.high, and the events at York and Shildon took the museum's annual
:15:15. > :15:17.turnover to more than ?1 million. Our business correspondent,
:15:18. > :15:23.Ian Reeve, reports. It was a gathering
:15:24. > :15:25.unlikely to happen again. Mallard and its five surviving
:15:26. > :15:29.sister locomotives reunited last year to mark the 75th anniversary
:15:30. > :15:31.of becoming Two of the A4 Pacifics crossed
:15:32. > :15:40.the Atlantic to be here. Displays of the six, between
:15:41. > :15:47.the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon here, brought 364,000
:15:48. > :15:51.visitors. The locomotives helped the museum to
:15:52. > :15:55.its best year, 1.3 million visitors It was pretty good financially
:15:56. > :16:02.as well. We took ?55,000 in donations over
:16:03. > :16:06.the period of the exhibition. Financially,
:16:07. > :16:16.it has been a shot in the arm. The appetite for all things Mallard
:16:17. > :16:21.was enormous, We never had queues
:16:22. > :16:28.in the shop quite like it before. The items we sold, sold in massive
:16:29. > :16:31.quantities, particularly souvenir There was demand
:16:32. > :16:46.for everything Mallard. Durham Amateur Rowing Club is
:16:47. > :17:10.helping injured servicemen Rowing has been added to a support
:17:11. > :17:15.programme run at a recovery centre for veterans and service personnel
:17:16. > :17:18.at Catterick Garrison. Stephanie Cleasby has been to meet
:17:19. > :17:21.some of the people who are being helped to lead active,
:17:22. > :17:31.independent and fulfilling lives. Susan was injured in an explosion
:17:32. > :17:36.in Afghanistan in 2009. At the same time, she was
:17:37. > :17:39.diagnosed with breast cancer. With her nursing career over,
:17:40. > :17:50.she turned to the Phoenix House My whole life was going to have to
:17:51. > :17:53.change. Now there was a new beginning which needed to happen.
:17:54. > :17:55.To help her recovery, she's receiving expert coaching
:17:56. > :18:04.It is also about trying something new that you would never dream of
:18:05. > :18:08.doing, and rowing would certainly have been that, not something I
:18:09. > :18:09.would have said, yes I'm going to have a go.
:18:10. > :18:15.Time to get out on the water, and put the training into practice.
:18:16. > :18:23.When we mention rowing, some of the guys say, that is elitist. An
:18:24. > :18:27.activity they have never taken part in before, the majority. A real,
:18:28. > :18:29.positive uptake, everyone wants to have a go.
:18:30. > :18:32.Dean Middleton, from Seaham, was injured in a bomb blast
:18:33. > :18:38.He's using his experience to help others.
:18:39. > :18:45.You can't do a course in being blown up, in Game two able to relate and
:18:46. > :18:51.empathise with the soldiers. Guys with confidence issues can come
:18:52. > :18:53.here. When you get the hang of it, it is
:18:54. > :18:58.relaxing, extremely peaceful. Durham Amateur Rowing Club is
:18:59. > :19:01.offering fortnightly sessions on the River Wear, for service personnel
:19:02. > :19:04.and veterans from Phoenix House. And for those who are keen to
:19:05. > :19:07.take the sport further and show potential, they will be offered
:19:08. > :19:25.coaching up to competition level. I thought the football had
:19:26. > :19:27.finished. But the transfer season has opened.
:19:28. > :19:29.Sunderland hope to hear this week whether Jack Colback
:19:30. > :19:33.But, within the last hour, West Bromwich Albion have announced
:19:34. > :19:37.the free transfer signing of Craig Gardner who'd come to the end of his
:19:38. > :19:41.Gardner cost the Black Cats ?6 million when
:19:42. > :19:44.Steve Bruce signed him from Birmingham City, three years ago.
:19:45. > :19:46.Now, while thousands of sports fans in the region may
:19:47. > :19:50.know his voice, chances are few would recognise him in the street.
:19:51. > :19:53.But stadium announcer Barry Wallace has now notched up exactly 50 years
:19:54. > :19:57.Best known at Newcastle speedway, he's also worked as far afield
:19:58. > :19:58.as Workington, Berwick, Sunderland and Hull.
:19:59. > :20:25.Barry Wallace leading both teams out at the Newcastle Stadium in an old
:20:26. > :20:30.style parade reminiscent of the first time he induced the speedway
:20:31. > :20:35.riders to the crowd in May 1964. 50 years has flown by. It was the
:20:36. > :20:42.first time I had done any speedway announcing, although I have been a
:20:43. > :20:46.fan since I was six. Newcastle and Sunderland, Sunderland had a
:20:47. > :20:52.speedway team in those days. A local derby. Tonight is as near a local
:20:53. > :20:56.derby as you can get. Barry caught the bug is a young boy when he was
:20:57. > :21:02.taken by his dad at the end of the war.
:21:03. > :21:05.The meeting was rained off. The track was waterlogged on Monday.
:21:06. > :21:09.Fortunately in those days, they didn't have a dog racing on a
:21:10. > :21:17.Tuesday, so the meeting was restaged on Tuesday and I was here. The first
:21:18. > :21:24.meeting, the smell, the feel, it got into my blood. So it has been ever
:21:25. > :21:29.since. As for the best rider he has ever
:21:30. > :21:36.introduced, a kiwi world champion, Ivan Meijer.
:21:37. > :21:40.The most famous speedway rider ever. His career has taken him as far
:21:41. > :21:44.afield as Workington, Berwick, Sunderland and Hull. He has covered
:21:45. > :21:54.cricket matches and had a spell at St James's Park.
:21:55. > :21:59.With players like Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand. David Ginola, Andy Cole
:22:00. > :22:09.as well. Here is me, lucky enough to be in the announcers box.
:22:10. > :22:15.I have seen a couple of riders killed here at broth Park. That,
:22:16. > :22:21.fortunately, it is never likely to happen again now we have this safety
:22:22. > :22:27.fencing. The good side is the dramatic and exciting finishing.
:22:28. > :22:29.When a rider comes whizzing around the last bend and pips the lead on
:22:30. > :22:38.the line, great stuff. Having secured their place in
:22:39. > :22:40.Rugby Union's Premiership for another season, Newcastle
:22:41. > :22:43.Falcons are looking to the future. They've signed
:22:44. > :22:47.an agreement with Rotherham Titans. It'll see four of the
:22:48. > :22:49.Falcons' Academy players, centre Chris Harris, scrum`half Andy
:22:50. > :22:52.Davies, back row Ben Morris, and second row Sean Robinson, joining
:22:53. > :22:55.the Yorkshire club for the whole Harris, Davies and Robinson have
:22:56. > :22:59.been playing, locally, for Tynedale and Blaydon, while Robinson's been
:23:00. > :23:02.starring for Durham University In cricket,
:23:03. > :23:08.Durham have announced they're to To help celebrate
:23:09. > :23:13.the south Northumberland club's 150th anniversary,
:23:14. > :23:15.the county's Royal London Cup match with Warwickshire will be staged
:23:16. > :23:18.at the Gosforth ground in Newcastle Meanwhile, back in the
:23:19. > :23:53.County Championship, Durham trailed 21 degrees with a bit of sunshine,
:23:54. > :24:00.but this scenery still looks stunning. Tomorrow, a nice day, dry
:24:01. > :24:04.with sunny spells making it feel quite warm, especially with those
:24:05. > :24:09.light winds. In the meantime, we have some weather to get out of the
:24:10. > :24:13.way. An increasing risk of heavy, thundery showers this evening,
:24:14. > :24:18.spreading from the south. They should keep on moving. By the end of
:24:19. > :24:23.the night, most places are dry again. Overnight temperatures
:24:24. > :24:28.staying in double figures. Nothing lower than nine Celsius. The winds
:24:29. > :24:35.will be fairly light. Some localised downpours.
:24:36. > :24:38.Tomorrow has a great `` a great start, but most of us will see some
:24:39. > :24:45.good, sunny spells developing through the middle of the day.
:24:46. > :24:53.Temperatures, rising up to 19 Celsius. A light south`westerly
:24:54. > :24:57.breeze. That is the picture for tomorrow, make the most of it. By
:24:58. > :25:03.the time we get to Thursday, this low pressure is moving from the
:25:04. > :25:09.south west, bringing weather fronts and creating clouds and heavy rain.
:25:10. > :25:16.Staying into Friday with showery outbreaks of rain, heavy and
:25:17. > :25:22.thundery. If you are out and about, the message is to make the most of
:25:23. > :25:27.tomorrow. Cumbria is fine and dry. Thursday and Friday, a lot more
:25:28. > :25:31.cloud, heavy rain, the odd rumble of thunder. Feeling cooler in that
:25:32. > :25:39.north`easterly breeze. Eastern areas will feel the effect of that tail
:25:40. > :25:46.end. After the sunshine tomorrow, 5 degrees lower than Thursday and
:25:47. > :25:55.Friday, with cloud and rain. Feeling completely different.
:25:56. > :25:59.You can keep up`to`date with the BBC weather app. We would love to see
:26:00. > :26:06.you all Mayweather pictures, if you think you have a picture which sums
:26:07. > :26:16.up this month, it could feature in our weather calendar.
:26:17. > :26:20.Join us again this evening after the Ten O'Clock News.
:26:21. > :26:56.Some people don't think real change in Europe is possible.
:26:57. > :27:00.Some people don't think real change is necessary.
:27:01. > :27:04.Some people don't think it's worth fighting for.
:27:05. > :27:06.But we want to make Europe work for Britain,
:27:07. > :27:11.and give you the final say with an in-out referendum in 2017.
:27:12. > :27:17.have made Britain's economy stronger and more competitive.
:27:18. > :27:22.a record number of people in work. And we're predicted to be
:27:23. > :27:26.the fastest-growing economy in the G7 this year.
:27:27. > :27:31.We're working through our long-term economic plan at home