25/01/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to Wednesday's Look North.

Tonight, a university is fined ?400,000 after two students nearly

They were wrongly given a dose of caffeine -

equivalent to 300 cups of coffee each.

The university completely failed to control the risks during these

experiments and two young students found themselves seriously ill

and in intensive care in hospital for a number of nights.

The moment arsonists struck at a Newcastle pub as the landlord

Swanning off - one of the North's best known museum exhibits

is dismantled before a 300-mile trip to the Science Museum.

And is this abandoned dog's ugly mug stopping him

We visit the cycling club that'll host a major championship next year.

And after another huge injury blow, the goal that's given beleaguered

Northumbria University has been fined ?400,000 after two students

Alex Rossetta and Luke Parkin, who were both 20 and Sports Science

students, were investigating the impact of caffeine

But they were each accidentally given a dose of caffeine equivalent

Our news correspondent Mark Denten joins us now from outside

Well, in many ways, we were told in court today that this was a routine

experiment that had been done every year as part of a Sports Science

course, as you said, students, volunteers given caffeine, then

exercising and measuring the effect. But on the 21st of March 2015

something went drastically wrong with this.

So Mark just how much caffeine did the students have?

Let us have a look at the figures. What they were supposed to actually

have was 0.32 g of caffeine, that is the equivalent to about three strong

cups of coffee. What they actually got was 100 times that each, 30.7

grams of caffeine, that is the equivalent to 300 cups of coffee

each. To give you an idea of what that looks like, on the left-hand

side of your screen, you can see one spoon, that is how much caffeine

they should have had and on the right-hand side, you can see the

Heil, that is how much the students each got, a huge difference.

The students had an immediate effect, vomiting, blog division,

heart palpitations. Both had to go to hospital and one ended up on

dialysis and in intensive care to remove the caffeine from their

system. Sentencing and fining Northumbria University ?400,000, the

judge said there was inadequate supervision and training from the

University and outside court, the Health and Safety Executive who

brought this case gave their reaction. The university completely

failed to control the risks during these experiments and two young

students found themselves seriously ill and in intensive care in

hospital for a number of months. In other reported cases, people have

died after taking doses far less than those that were administered to

the students. All organisations have engaged in experiments where people

given chemical substances identify the weather risks and adopt strict

procedures to ensure that the experiments can be undertaken

safely. So it sounds as if the students

are lucky to be alive? Absolutely. I mean, they were very

young, 20 years old and they were also very set Sports Science

students. The court heard effect and that was what had saved them, had

they been older, they could very well have died. Here is the Health

and Safety Executive again. Such a huge amount of caffeine, it is

common and a lot of substances, coffee, tea a lot of the high-energy

drinks, people would be amazed how much coffee and caffeine is

contained in that. They are lucky to be alive? Absolutely, they were

saved because they were young and fit and sport students. One was a

keen swimmer and the other kept a very active life. They managed to

fight this off and get through it. The Vice Chancellor of Northumbria

University was in court today but left without speaking to the media.

The university has issued a statement and this is it, they have

said they are genuinely sorry about what happened to those students but

that it is an isolated incident and that the welfare of its staff and

students is always paramount. One happy footnote to this, both

students have recovered, both got their degrees in their normal time

and one has gone on to take a Masters degree at Northumbria

University. Thank you for that, Mark.

This is the horrifying moment arsonists attacked a Newcastle

pub while the landlord and his family slept upstairs.

The police released the pictures which were caught on CCTV cameras.

Officers say it's fortunate nobody was killed.

The window is broken and you then see an accelerant

dousing the furniture, then it all goes up in flames.

The real worrying thing is that the family of the licensee

were in bed above the pub, in the accommodation above the pub.

Obviously, they're really quite shaken by what has gone on.

Had one of them not woken up as a result of the sound

of the breaking glass, this could have been a real tragedy

and I think it has really shaken the family up quite badly

and they are thinking about what could have been,

Fortunately, the family did escape unhurt and today the landlord

at The Jubilee in Fordham did not want to speak about the incident,

but the police are hoping because it could have been so much worse,

They are now checking CCTV and they are appealing for information.

A Hartlepool man accused of the brutal murder of a pensioner

has been giving evidence in his defence today.

The body of Norma Bell was found in her burned-out home last April.

Gareth Dack told Teesside Crown Court she was a "wonderful woman"

and denied having anything to do with her death.

She was a 79-year-old widow, a mother of the Andy Foster care to

over 50 children during her lifetime. Norma Bell was found dead

at her home in Westbourne Road in Hartlepool last April. Man charged

with killing her, 33-year-old Gareth Dack, is accused of using little

cables to strangle her inside the home. He is accused of setting

several fires inside the property and turning on the gas hob, hoping

an explosion would cover his tracks. It never ignited. Gareth Dack denied

calling a soft pawn TV station from her landline and stealing her TV.

The jury heard he sold drugs and was an occasional cocaine user. Today he

spoke in his defence and said he had known the women for a number of

years and live just down the road from work and described as a

wonderful woman and in the past had visited her house with her children.

He had always ask after him, she said. He had borrowed money from her

and had fixed events in our backyard. He spoke at the shock of

being arrested and said he did not expect for one moment to be charged

with murder. The prosecution asked them why he responded, no comment,

the police questions. Why should I make their job easier, he replied.

Dack said he had taken legal advice. Norma Bell's injuries were read out

by the prosecution. Gareth Dack denies murder and arson. The trial

continues. Northumbria Police say 25 victims

have come forward since they started investigating allegations of sexual

abuse in sport. The force says it relates to eight

suspects across nine different sporting clubs,

including Newcastle United and The police are urging

anyone who hasn't come A plan to turn Newcastle into one

of the world's greenest communities when it comes to the recycling

and re-use of waste has been But supporters of the plan admit

the city still has a long way to go to tackle the environmental

and financial cost. The council says the waste generated

by Newcastle alone could fill the stadium at St James' Park

to the top every three years. Our political correspondent

Luke Walton has more. From broken gadgets to plastic

milk cartons, chucking stuff out has become part

of modern life. It is Newcastle recycling centre is

an example of what is becoming an increasingly big issue for all of

us, not only does collecting waste, the price to the taxpayer, but

failure to reuse it comes at an increasing cost, both

environmentally and financially. That is pollution, we have to think

about the social cost, about people, and the economic cost. We are facing

huge asperity measured from the government. Newcastle currently

generates 142,000 tonnes of waste annually, enough, says the council,

to fill St James' Park to the brim every three years. A third of which

goes to landfill. The council wants to cut that figure and turn only

city into a world leader on recycling. It says the residents

have a big part to play. Quite often there is an attitude that we can

drop rubbish, brother at fly-tipping and that the council will collect

it. But we have a responsibility about having pride and respect for

the area in which we live. When it comes to the proportion of waste

recycled, be used or composting, according to a recent analysis, the

Newcastle figure is 38.5%, well behind top performing Richmondshire

in North Yorkshire at 52.4%. But better than Sunderland at 29.4%.

Newcastle's Lib Dems accused the ruling Labour group of leading the

service life. We're getting lots of complaints about missed bin

collections, fly-tipping and lack of information about what can be

recycled, where and when. So we want to see a much more proactive

approach to waste management in the city. Our workforce carry out a

fantastic service in all weathers and I would say, do not make cheap

shots about the service, it is very good. From disposable to reusable,

turning the tide of rubbish will not be easy, but they need to change

habits becomes ever more pressing. Luke Walton, BBC Look North.

15 months on from the closure of the Thai company SSI's blast

furnace and steel works on Teesside, the task force set up to deal

with the aftermath of the closure has revealed new figures showing

Over two thousand people lost their jobs at the Redcar complex,

The majority of former workers are no longer claiming benefits,

and over three hundred new businesses have either been set

up by former steelworkers or are in the planning.

Our business correspondent Ian Reeve reports.

It was an event - more than a year ago -

After 170 years of iron and steel-making, the end,

as SSI's Redcar blast furnace was shut down.

But the unemployment fall-out has been less than expected.

So, today, of the 2,150 people who claimed benefits in the wake

of the 2015 closure, 2,107 no longer are.

And also revealed today, a staggering 248 businesses have

80 more are in the pipeline, thanks to help from the task force

Businesses like Matthew's Middlesbrough-based truck training

and haulage company, built up to a fleet of 26

We cannot believe how well it is gone. By the middle of February we

will have ten people working for us who used to be working in the

steelworks. Many love it, they are earning more than they did at the

steelworks. Totally different job. So tonight, in Redcar,

there's another task force event offering advice for former

steelworkers who might want to emulate Matthew

and work for themselves. Or for those now in work

but who want something better. About 60% of people are taking a

significant drop in their wages and they ask us to help them to really

step up to a better job, and what we want to do now is to work with

people so that they can make that step up and get a better job leading

to a new career. This event then for those planning

a life after steel... But there is, it appears,

still life in steel. British Steel, which sprang

out of Tata's unloved long products division,

including here at Lackenby on Teesside, said today that

after seven months of independence, Maybe steel is starting to take

centre stage on Teesside once more. It's a priceless piece of silver,

which, for 125 years, has taken pride of place at one

of our best-known museums. Now, though, the famous silver

swan at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle is being moved -

temporarily - to the science The swan will feature

in a new exhibition there - But as Phil Connell

reports, transporting it The Bowes Museum attracted 120,000

people last year with one piece of history a priority on their list

of things to see. The museum's famous moving

swan has been enchanting It is made from solid silver

and is said to be priceless. Well, normally, the swan takes pride

of place in this part of the museum. This week, though, it has

disappeared from public view, ready So, Karen, now that the neck rings

are off and packed... In a side room of the museum,

Matthew Read and Karen Barker are dismantling the swan,

bit by bit. For six weeks she's being lent

to the Science Museum in London And ensuring her safe

arrival is no mean feat. When the neck is transported,

it is horizontal, and so what we want to do is to make sure

that it is in the right orientation, basically so it doesn't fall apart

and we give ourselves a bigger job So I have undone one

of the screws and you can see here that the little

shells lift away. And they are incredibly beautifully

made out of brass and steel. A lot of people might be surprised

to see her being referred to as a robot, but essentially,

that is what she is. I mean, she is three clockwork

mechanisms but she does not tell the time and she behaves like a swan

in a robotic fashion. She preens herself

and she catches a fish. What I have to do is to go

with the pace of the object and we know that the swan has got

a great character and if you listen to it, it tells you when you can go

quickly and when you have to go slowly, and if you ignore

that, at your peril, So, for the first time in 125 years,

the swan's preparing to take flight. She will be back, though,

in time for Easter. Phil Connell, BBC Look North

at the Bowes Museum. Beauty is in the eye

of the beholder. And that's certainly the case

for Fester the boxer cross. He was found abandoned

and wandering the streets. And staff at the Dogs Trust

near Darlington fear his quirky looks mean he'll never get fixed up

with a loving owner. The meat -fest, the bighearted boxer

dog looking for a new owner. He was found abandoned two weeks ago and

wandering the streets. So far, no one seems to want him and he does

not understand why. -- M8 Fester. He does look different and he does

not fit into your average style of dog but if people cannot see past

that, they do not know what they are missing out on. He is fabulous,

beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some movie stars who get

fantastic work and not the best looking either but have a great

personality. Fester is definitely quirky, he has

two different coloured eyes and he was born with a slightly narrower

job but he has no health problems and it certainly does not hold him

back. He loves people, he is very exuberant, he cannot keep all of his

paws on the floor, he needs to learn a few manners but his walking is

good. He loves a cuddle and loves playing with toys. Well, Fester has

certainly won me over and I think he is a very special dog. What the Dogs

Trust want to do is to find him a new poll and the family and the best

place for him would be a home where there are older teenage children so

that they will all want to be and some movie stars and he is the

centre of attention. -- hand some movie stars.

All the way through that you were watching that, Don. But it reminds

me why I am a cat person! David Moyes must be wondering

when or if his luck The Sunderland boss has lost another

key player to injury and could be without defender Papy Djilobodji

for a minimum of four games if an appeal against an FA

charge for violent conduct The decision to appeal against this

incident involving Djilobodji and Darren Fletcher,

during Sunderland's 2-0 defeat to West Brom on Saturday,

has surprised many. But if they can possibly avoid

losing the Senegalese international for at least four games,

it's perhaps worthwhile. Moyes already has a whole first team

unavailable to him and last night's announcement that Victor Anichebe

will be out of action for ten The injury-prone striker, who played

on after treatment at the weekend, revealed on social media he'd been

reduced to tears when a scan showed he'd ruptured his

medial knee ligament. On the up side, this goal means

Moyes should have Ivory Coaast defender Lamine Kone back in time

for next Tuesday's game against Spurs, alongside

Gabon's Didier N'Dong after they were both knocked out

of the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, good luck to Sunderland

and Newcastle's youngsters in tonight's fifth round

of the FA Youth Cup. And to former Boro and

Darlington player Craig Liddle, who's to replace Dave Parnaby

as manager of Middlesbrough's Meanwhile, Sunderland's U-23

coach Andy Welsh has It's a club staffed entirely

by volunteers, with all its active But the Hetton Hawks Cycling Club

has beaten off national competition to stage one of the region's biggest

sporting events of 2018. As Jeff Brown reports,

it'll bring thousands of spectators to a former colliery site

in County Durham. It was a big enough coup that -

back in November - Hetton Lyons Country Park should be

the venue for round three of the But the course - and the hosts -

made a huge impression. And it gave the Hawks

a taste for the big time. So in January next year,

they'll stage the sport's For a small club in the North East,

running the national championships, it has not been heard of before.

They will probably be around 5000 people throughout the weekend who

will come to the area to race. You will have two days of racing spread

over 15 different categories. Four minutes left.

Go-Ride clubs are for youngsters from the age of five to 18.

They're designed to offer an introduction to cycling,

which could, of course, lead all the way to the Olympics.

When you get going, keep pedalling and hold your hands nearer to the

centre. As they entered 1-out champions or is that something that

just might happen? For a coach, I want to see bottoms on seats, I want

to see people riding, they might drop out but then come back to it in

midlife. The mother benefits of cycling. Essentially, if we find

someone who is talented or the ones that will become very talented, we

cannot have them, that is the big difference.

Through the winter, Tony, his coaches, and an army

of volunteers, host weekly indoor sessions, which look

It is like running on a treadmill for a runner, it allows you to

control your environment so they can ride, they are not out on the road

in the dark or having to avoid cars and you can repeat any of the

efforts. It is balance and coordination skills, it is one of

the core skills we tried to develop a set of techniques. It is actually

not too difficult once you start, most people get it in ten minutes.

New starters have all got it with any time you have been filming. --

within the time. And much of that is

down to teamwork. It is about showing them what you

can achieve as Eugene from a tiny little club where nobody who rides a

bike is old enough to actually won the championship.

I do not know how you stop! It is very confusing.

Time for me to do the weather! Beautiful sunrise in County Durham

sent in by George, stunning picture. And in North Yorkshire, another

sunrise but a little more hazy. It will be cold over the next few days.

I am not telling you we will all see penguins, but the next shot from the

sea life Centre in Scarborough sing very well timed today as things are

set to Dom Inglot Calder. Tomorrow it will be bitterly cold, partly

because of that breeze coming up from the South East, many places

will be dry. After some sunshine today we have some clear skies for a

time tonight, the temperatures will drop and we will see a touch of

frost in many places. We will also see a veil of thick cloud edging its

way up from the South overnight, so many places in the night cloudy, but

that will not do anything to lift the temperatures, very cold stuck

underneath that cloud and a widespread minus one Celsius or

minus two degrees. That went on South-Easterly as we head through

the night and by the end of the night that cloud might be thick

enough to produce the odd flurry of snow, just a few grains in the

breeze, perhaps enough to cause one or two icy stretches the form. It is

a cold an cloudy start tomorrow. Parts of Cumbria will see the best

of any brightness for the East. -- for East you are stuck with that

cloud for most of the day and again, and Awde lighter flurry of little

snow grains like little hill storms are not out of the question. Many

places will be dry, look at the temperatures, three or four Celsius

is possible and Eastern areas but hovering above freezing. Add in that

South-Easterly breeze and it will feel well into subzero. On Friday,

another cold Anna Green CD. Things begin to change temperature-wise as

we get through the weekend. The wind turns South westerly. The weather

turns unsettled. There will be some showers on Saturday but that is the

temperatures to start to recover. He cold one of Friday, temperature

slightly up on the figures of Thursday, I am not sure you will

notice but that South-Easterly breeze. Enter the weekend, the odd

shower on Saturday but temperatures return to seven or eight and most

quizzes are dry and bright by the time we get to Sunday.

But definitely for the dog walk tomorrow, hats, gloves, the lot.

Absolutely, everything that you have got. That is all for tonight, good

night. RADIO: 'The UK has voted to leave

the European Union by 52% to 48. 'Ukip leader Nigel Farage celebrated

the result, declaring that 'dawn was breaking on an

independent nation.' Ugh! 'is expected to resign

later this morning.'