:00:12. > :00:17.This week on Look North, we've been asking why so many people
:00:18. > :00:21.in the North East who dial 999 have to wait so long for an ambulance.
:00:22. > :00:25.Tonight, a claim that scores of incidents may be down to problems
:00:26. > :00:36.With this exclusive story, here's our health reporter Sharon Barbour.
:00:37. > :00:44.Look North has learned ambulances are being held up, sometimes for
:00:45. > :00:46.hours, at the accident and emergency units .
:00:47. > :00:48.Last year, between April and September,
:00:49. > :00:51.over 10,500 delays were recorded by paramedics handing over their
:00:52. > :00:57.For the paramedics, it means they off the road,
:00:58. > :01:10.trapped in queues, unable to respond to stacking 999 calls.
:01:11. > :01:20.They are waiting for us to clear at hospital after stacking up. It is
:01:21. > :01:25.frustrating. We learned the majority occurred at a fuel hospitals and
:01:26. > :01:32.based at the University Hospital of North Durham. `` at a few hospitals.
:01:33. > :01:35.We put an ambulance liaison officer at crucial times into the emergency
:01:36. > :01:42.department to help with the handover of patients. We have seen documents
:01:43. > :01:50.that show hundreds of patients who may have been kept waiting outside
:01:51. > :01:52.accident and emergency sentence `` centres have the paramedics not
:01:53. > :01:57.driven them to another hospital. Most patients were diverted away
:01:58. > :02:06.from the University Hospital of North Dharamsala. Here are some of
:02:07. > :02:11.the reasons `` of North Durham. At this time it is closed to all but
:02:12. > :02:21.life`threatening cases. Orthopaedic and gynaecological patients cannot
:02:22. > :02:26.be taken on one day. On the 13th, the hospital has to divert A
:02:27. > :02:31.patients. The list goes on and on. It shows problems with paramedics
:02:32. > :02:38.taking patients to a major accident and emergency centre. At best this
:02:39. > :02:41.might cause inconvenience and cause delays in the system. But, at worst,
:02:42. > :02:45.could it be putting lives at risk? Earlier tonight, we put those points
:02:46. > :02:48.to Professor Chris Gray, medical director of the Health
:02:49. > :03:02.Trust responsible for North Durham. It is unacceptable and we have two
:03:03. > :03:06.fix it and we have plans to do that. We have invested ?5 million in
:03:07. > :03:12.additional front`line staff and support services to make it happen.
:03:13. > :03:16.We need to do more. What we intend to do is increase the capacity of
:03:17. > :03:17.the emergency department and increase the size of that using
:03:18. > :03:22.existing resources. The Deputy Prime Minister says
:03:23. > :03:25.a new ?100 million factory in Washington is evidence
:03:26. > :03:27.of a manufacturing revival Investment in the hi`tech
:03:28. > :03:30.Rolls Royce plant, which makes parts for aircraft,
:03:31. > :03:33.has secured hundreds of jobs. Here's our political correspondent,
:03:34. > :03:44.Richard Moss. You know there must be good economic
:03:45. > :03:49.news about when not one but two economic big beasts turn up your
:03:50. > :03:53.factory. It has secured hundreds of jobs making parts for aircraft all
:03:54. > :03:58.over the world. It is perhaps not surprising politicians want to
:03:59. > :04:02.associate themselves with this success. The question is, is the
:04:03. > :04:10.north`east economy any closer to lift off? You are seeing the
:04:11. > :04:13.marriage of fine traditions of the north`east, of manufacturing and
:04:14. > :04:20.designing and making things and exporting, and marrying Brad to
:04:21. > :04:26.world beating, cutting`edge new technology and skills. We have it
:04:27. > :04:29.here `` marrying that. We can build on that which would be part of a
:04:30. > :04:34.rebirth of manufacturing in the north`east. Labour said success
:04:35. > :04:46.stories like this are too few and far between. Even the Business
:04:47. > :04:49.Secretary admits. Of course, we could do more and we want to do
:04:50. > :04:58.more, but there is no magic Woolwich. `` no magic bullet.
:04:59. > :05:02.All front`line police officers in Durham are to be equipped with
:05:03. > :05:07.The force thinks it may be the first in the country to give
:05:08. > :05:11.It's argued the use of cameras has helped bring
:05:12. > :05:14.criminals to justice more quickly, and improved standards of policing.
:05:15. > :05:17.A Teesside man has this evening been describing the moment he
:05:18. > :05:20.was bitten by a 7ft snake, which then wrapped itself around him.
:05:21. > :05:22.Police and paramedics were called to Andrew Williams' home
:05:23. > :05:32.in Middlesbrough, after he was attacked by his Burmese python.
:05:33. > :05:34.Andrew Williams says he's been keeping snakes
:05:35. > :05:37.like this boa constrictor for years, without any problems.
:05:38. > :05:40.But this afternoon, as he was trying to feed his Burmese
:05:41. > :05:42.python, it bit him and then coiled itself around him.
:05:43. > :05:49.I was panicking. This is a seven foot python. It was the most
:05:50. > :05:59.frightening thing I have seen. This is where Crusher,
:06:00. > :06:01.the 7ft python used to live. But now the snake's been
:06:02. > :06:11.taken away by the RSPCA. I went to feed it and it bit me. It
:06:12. > :06:17.wrapped itself around my arm. I had to stop it moving by stamping on its
:06:18. > :06:20.head. It was hissing. Andrew has been left with
:06:21. > :06:23.a few marks on his hand. But despite being bitten, having a
:06:24. > :06:27.7ftsnake wrapped around him and been visited by the emergency services,
:06:28. > :06:29.the police and paramedics. This hasn't, he says,
:06:30. > :06:50.put him off keeping snakes. I am not sure how I follow that but
:06:51. > :07:00.I will hand you over to our snaked hipped weatherman. Tomorrow looks
:07:01. > :07:04.like a fine and dry day. Any early mist will clear quickly. There will
:07:05. > :07:10.be patchy cloud around but most will see sunny spells into the afternoon.
:07:11. > :07:27.It will feel warmer. Temperatures easily up to the teams. `` teens.
:07:28. > :07:33.There will be showery outbreaks of rain in the outlook. We will
:07:34. > :07:43.high as 24 degrees. Looking forward to the weekend, thundery showers. As
:07:44. > :07:50.you will have seen, I cannot promise you sunshine and blue skies, but I
:07:51. > :07:53.can promise warm. Warmer conditions will be growing up. The heat at the
:07:54. > :07:54.moment is across parts of Spain and south-west