23/11/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

That's all from the BBC News at Six.

Welcome to Look North.

In the headlines tonight:

Ground-breaking research -

an exclusive report on how foot

specialists are saving lives

by diagnosing heart problems.

Also tonight:

The man accused

of murdering his toddler stepson

almost 50 years ago takes the stand

at Teesside Crown Court.

Flooding in Cumbria

after the county takes yet another

battering from the elements.

And animal refuge -

the project providing foster

carers for dogs caught up

in domestic violence relationships.

In sport, Alan Shearer

gives me his reaction to a newly

announced study exploring possible

links between heading

a football and dementia.

Sunderland forward Duncan Watmore

will miss the rest of the season,

but there was true Britt on Teesside

as Assombalonga gets

Boro back on track.

First tonight, in what's believed

to be the first study of its kind,

foot experts in the North have been

diagnosing serious, often

life-threatening heart conditions

by taking heartbeats

from patients' feet.

During routine checks,

podiatrists in Durham and Darlington

have been detecting irregular

heartbeats in people,

potentially saving their lives.

It's hoped their pioneering

project will now be taken

on across the country.

Sharon Barbour has

this exclusive report.

Brian

this exclusive report.

Brian was

this exclusive report.

Brian was having

this exclusive report.

Brian was having his

this exclusive report.

Brian was having his usual

this exclusive report.

Brian was having his usual diabetic

this exclusive report.

Brian was having his usual diabetic

foot checks. At the dieters was

taking his polls when she heard a

worrying sound. -- a podiatrist was

taking his pulse. His heartbeat was

a regular. Brian had no idea that he

had atrial fibrillation, which, left

untreated, can lead to a massive and

potentially life threatening stroke.

It was only found because, in a

pilot study, the podiatrist at

Durham and Darlington hospitals

started listening for regular

heartbeats.

We use a Doppler machine

and listen to the quality that

pulse, and while we listen to the

quality, we can listen to the

regularity. Patients with diabetes

can be more at risk from developing

atrial relation. If it goes

undiagnosed, and can end up getting

a severe stroke.

So, Brian's regular

heartbeat was picked up by the

podiatrist, and they quickly brought

it to the attention of cardiologists

here at the hospital. And the

doctors here think the podiatrists'

discovery could save hundreds of

patients.

There are something like

150,000 strokes in the UK per year,

15% of them are a result of atrial

fibrillation. And we can prevent two

thirds, we are talking 10,000 people

a year at the risk of dying are

suffering severe disability. With a

simple screening tool, we can

achieve a lot.

Now detectives,

Brian's condition is being closely

monitored and treated.

It was news

to me. A shock and then the relief

that all I needed to do was take a

little pill each morning and,

hopefully, that's it. My heart is

behaving well this morning.

His life

possibly saved by the podiatrist.

It's and I hope this simple,

effective idea will be rolled out

across the country.

It seems like such a simple idea,

why hasn't been done before?

Medical

experts generally concentrate on

specialities, so podiatrists are

looking for foot ulcers, they take

pulses, but just generally like you

would on a wrist. So they just

didn't pick this up. It was lender,

here in Darlington, who learned more

about atrial revelation, the regular

heartbeats, and knew that patients

were more likely to get it. So she

launched this pilot project, road

and within three months, found ten

patients with a serious heart

condition that they had no idea.

They also use the Doppler machine,

which is really helping them listen

out for those serious heart

conditions.

Amazing, thanks, Sharon.

A grandfather accused

of killing his stepson in Stockton

almost 50 years ago has admitted

smacking and shaking the toddler

but says he never intentionally

caused him any harm.

David Dearlove - who's 71 -

took to the witness stand

at Teesside Crown Court.

He denies murdering

19-month-old Paul Booth

at the family's home in 1968.

Phil Connell is in our

newsroom in Middlesbrough.

Phil, remind us of the

background to this case.

This is the eighth day of this

murder trial at Teesside Crown

Court. The jury has already heard

from the prosecution who claimed

David Dearlove murdered all blues

back in 1968, 49 years ago at what

was then the family home in

Stockton. The toddler, his stepson,

was just 19 months old at the time.

He died from a serious head injury,

compatible with being thrown against

a fireplace.

What happened today?

David Dearlove, now 71 and lives in

Great Yarmouth, today took to the

witness stand to begin his defence.

He was asked about the statement he

had given to police 49 years ago,

following his stepson's death. He

told the jury that Paul had banged

his head on a fireplace while they

were playing. Is that it was a minor

bump and at the time seemed

perfectly all right. He was then

asked why he said he'd the boys, he

said that was something he did, it

was a kind of play, just a little

shake, he said, and something that

Paul had always seemed to like.

He

was asked about that night when Paul

died?

He said on the night in

question, a Howard Paul scream, went

to his bedroom, and found him lying

on the bedroom floor. He wasn't

breathing, so he opens his mouth and

gave him the kiss of life. At one

stage they, David Dearlove became

tearful giving his evidence and had

to pause for a moment. He has denied

murder and a second charge of child

cruelty. The trial continues

tomorrow.

It's not a league any

team wants to top -

Newcastle United has the highest

number of football banning orders

for the third year running.

According to the Home Office,

111 people were banned

from St James' Park last season.

That's more than any other club

in the top five divisions

in England and Wales.

There was also an increase

in the number of bans

at Middlesbrough and

Carlisle United.

Our news correspondent

Mark Denten has been looking

at the statistics and joins me now.

Mark, the basics first,

what is a football banning order?

These are issued by a court when

there's a conviction for a football

hype and related offence. This could

be anything from a pitch invasion,

an assault on side stadium, it could

be throwing a missile. These can be

quite severe, they can last for up

to ten years.

Newcastle United at

that of a table they'd not be?

Absolutely. There are 111 banning

orders at St James' Park last

season, when Newcastle were the

Championship. They also had the

highest for the previous two

seasons, but they have been falling

over years. Two of our teams as a

sole increases, though smaller

numbers. Middlesbrough, 33, Carlisle

United, 18. Better news at the

Stadium of Light, Sunderland saw a

fall on 37 last season, 23 on the

latest figures.

Woody Newcastle

United say?

A bath majority of those

banning orders are a legacy of

something that happened in 2000 40

-- happened in 2013, the Tyne & Wear

Derby they were banned for four

years, that's why they still appear

at the top of the table. The police

say they take no apology for the

tough stance they take on the small

minority of people who are involved

in football disorder.

Thank you.

It's been an anxious time again

for many people across Cumbria

as heavy rains throughout the last

24 hours brought widespread

flooding across the county.

Around 35 homes were affected,

mainly in the south of the county,

while travel on the county's roads

and railways has been

badly disrupted.

Mark McAlindon has this roundup.

A sadly familiar sight in Cumbria -

firefighters pumping out water

to try to protect homes -

this time in Kendal.

The main road into the Lake District

too presenting real difficulties.

This morning, this was the picture

in theheart of Carlisle,

as the Eden spilled over.

But thankfully, rainfall was still

below the levels of Storm Desmond.

I think the peak 24-hour rainfall

then was around 360mm.

By comparison, in the last 24

hours that have gone by,

that total at that location has

been around 100, 105mm,

something like that.

So it's scales below,

but it is still, clearly,

from what we're seen,

been a big issue for

the county, unfortunately.

Some properties did flood.

Roads were closed, others

passable only with care.

Driving conditions on the M6

were tough too for much of the day.

And railway lines along the Cumbrian

coast were also closed,

with passengers having

to take replacement buses.

Across Cumbria this morning, we're

told several schools remain closed,

including this one just

outside Carlisle.

This school was badly hit

during Storm Desmond two years ago,

staff been taking what precautions

they can with the front door

sandbagged and temporary

flood guards.

And a scare for football fans -

the pitch at Carlisle United's park

today submerged, although officials

say the game on Saturday

will go ahead.

Although the long-term

forecast can't protected,

it seems we are in line

for some short-term respite.

The outlook for the next month ahead

is probably unsettled conditions.

In terms of the immediate, next five

days, the flood risk is much lower.

We're hoping we will get a few days

where we can recover and that

water can draw down.

Tonight, the Cumbria Community

Foundation has announced that money

is available for anyone

who has been flooded.

You're watching Look North.

There's plenty still

to come tonight.

Mark's here with the sport.

Plus, the brilliant Bravehearts -

some of our region's most

inspirational children

are recognised for their courage

in the face of illness

and adversity.

After the recent mild but wet

weather, something drier and colder

for the next few days. Germany for

the full forecast.

In cases of domestic violence

the focus of help is obviously

on the people suffering the abuse.

But family pets can

also be affected.

When women leave a violent

relationship, they may move

into a refuge which can't

take in animals.

Now a project has launched

in the North East, offering

foster carers for dogs.

It's called the Freedom Project

and it's run by the Dogs' Trust.

Philippa Goymer has the story.

Gemma suffered three years of abuse

at the hands of her partner.

He had me pinned at 6am

in the utility room by the throat.

I couldn't breathe,

couldn't gasp for air, couldn't

shout out for help, nothing.

He dug a trowel into the side

of my neck, and I just stood there.

And then I just looked at him

and I went, "Just do it."

Because I'd had enough.

And he went, "I'll show you just

do it," and he shot me

through the side door.

Richard Ridley was jailed in June

for 13.5 years for a string

of assaults against Gemma.

Eventually, Gemma was moved

to a women's refuge and Dusty

was taken in by the Freedom Project.

They'd come and collect Dusty,

they'd return as soon

as I wanted Dusty back.

Anything he needed whilst in that

service, they provided.

Dusty went to live with

a foster carer like Susan.

She's based on Teesside,

but has worked with the

Dog's Trust's North Yorkshire

branch and cared for many pets

from abusive homes.

The majority of time, we have to get

the vaccinations up to date.

Which is fine.

If it's come from a domestic

violence background,

the last thing on the owner's mind

is, "I've got to get

the dogs vaccinated."

She's probably too worried

about the children,

the dog and the home life.

This month, the Freedom Project

launched across the North East.

Because we're here in Yorkshire,

into the North East,

we were getting a lot of calls

into our Yorkshire office,

people also need our help

in the area.

We knew there was a need

for help up here as well.

After five months, Gemma was able

to go back for her beloved Dusty.

I was an absolute bag of nerves,

I thought, "He's not

"going to remember me

or recognise me,

"is he going to be a OK with me?"

They opened the door,

and his head just -

I'd say little, but you can see it's

not - he tilted his head and looked

at me with his ears up,

I said, "Hiya, baby!"

And he jumped on me!

He remembered exactly who I was!

Some of our region's

children and teenagers

who are battling serious and often

life-threatening illnesses were

honoured for their bravery today.

The Brave Heart awards acknowledges

the struggle they've faced

in their young lives.

I was lucky enough to be

at St James' Park to meet them,

and hand out the awards,

along with Paralympian Josef Craig

and Newcastle legend Bob Moncur.

And our reporter Alison Freeman

found out a little bit more

about some of the winners.

There are clear

celebrities for the day. These

youngsters were given a taste of the

highlife with awards and gifts to

reward the way they have managed in

the face of adversity. Among them,

ten-year-old Thomas from Carlisle.

One with holes in its heart, his

first operation was just ten months

old.

Very, very proud, yeah! Very

proud of him. He had a surgery in

September last year. It didn't work,

but it's and are starting to fail

again, so we have to get more done.

But you would never tell, because

he's always smiling.

When I do PE, I

have to drink a lot of water, but

doesn't affect me that much any

more.

Grace, 13 from Cramlington,

was that bone cancer in April.

Addict you -- I've had chemotherapy.

She's recovered so well, she's

trouper, pushing herself to try and

walk by Christmas.

It is and is

bracing to see these kids, what

they're going through. It's dislike

for them, they get on with it, that

bravery, that courage, that strength

is something you don't see from

grown man a lot of the time.

Eight-year-old Caroline from neck is

in remission after treatment for a

tumour.

Just taking every day as it

comes, just saving the time.

Tell us

to this is?

Arturo. He's my

favourite teddy and comes everywhere

with me. He went to every operation

and radiotherapy session I've had.

He has been on your lap for every

scan and everything.

Would you say

he's your best friend?

Yes!

Brilliance, and for all I know, the

party's still going on!

The former Newcastle and England

captain Alan Shearer has welcomed

news from the FA of a long-awaited

study into the possible links

between heading a football,

and degenerative brain conditions

such as dementia.

It'll begin in January and be

led by the doctor who claimed that

another former England striker

Jeff Astle died because of

repeated head trauma.

Alan highlighted the need

for more research in his

recent BBC documentary.

He's been giving his

reaction to Mark Tulip.

Big news, it has been a long time

coming but it's great news.

I'm absolutely delighted that

Dr Willie Stewart is involved.

I know at he's highly regarded

and very good at his job.

He started the whole debate is off

after Jeff Astle's death, of course.

Absolutely, and when you consider

what the coroner had said

with Jeff Astle in 2002,

and nothing had been done until now,

it's a big, big day.

Obviously, Jeff Astle was playing

at a time with leather footballs,

they got heavier when they got wet,

your generation played

with a more modern football.

Do you think there's a big concern

for modern-day footballers?

There is a concern, there has

to be, until we can get

the necessary answers.

When we were doing the documentary,

we found that there was very little

difference between the balls that

were used in the 60s and 70s,

weight-wise, compared

to what they are using now.

The difference was, footballs back

then were a lot heavier

when they became wet.

And, of course, you had the big

stitching on the front.

The concern has to be for long-term

health, but now, hopefully,

it won't take too long

that we can now have answers.

Finally, Alan, do you think

we could look back on today,

10-20 years' time, as a pivotal day?

Yes, I think this is

a huge day for football.

As I say, it has been

a long time coming.

Delighted that the PFA and the FA

have now backed it and we can now

get the answers that football needs.

Buys an example there of a

documentary having a real impact? I

suppose we're never know how vital

it has been, David has really focus

the attention on a subject that a

lot of people will wanting to know

answers in the next few years.

And

parents of young ones buying today?

Absolutely.

Bad news for Sunderland

fans this evening.

Forward Duncan Watmore had surgery

on his recurring knee injury today

and will miss the rest

of the season.

Better news though,

for Middlesbrough, who moved back

into the Championship play-off

places with victory over

struggling Birmingham

at the Riverside last night.

Boro secured a fifth home win

of the season as Britt Assombalonga

scored twice in the first half.

The club's record signing

was on hand when Tomasz Kuszczak

could only parry Stewart Downing's

fierce shot and he latched

onto Fabio Da Silva's pass

for his 11th goal of the season.

Boro are up to sixth ahead

of Derby's visit this weekend.

Boro's win did provide some good

news for Sunderland,

because Birmingham are one

of the teams down there

with the Black Cats near the bottom

of the Championship.

The Wearsiders were in a similar

position when Peter Reid

took over as manager

in 1995, and after saving

them from relegation,

they never looked back.

Now he's written a book

about his time on Wearside,

and Jeff Brown met up with him

in Sunderland city centre

a couple of hours ago.

Having taken them to two

seventh-place finishes

in the Premier League,

Peter Reid's time at Sunderland

was one of the brighter chapters

in the club's recent history,

hence the number of people who have

turned up here to see him tonight.

Peter, great to see you,

got ask you about one

of your successors, Chris Coleman -

what do you think about him?

Well, I know Chris really well.

Great personality, great enthusiasm,

and I think you need that

to lift the stadium,

to lift the club up.

He certainly has the personality.

He has to breathe confidence

into the club somehow,

because they're not as bad

as the results suggest.

I think he's the right

man for the job.

A lot of fans would like to see

yourself as manager,

was that ever going to happen?

No, I don't think so.

There's a lot of speculation,

a lot of interest in the media.

Not you, but in the media.

It was never going to happen,

As I said before, hopefully

they have the right manager,

and they surely have.

You took the club to two

seventh-place finishes

in the Premier League,

fantastic achievement -

how did you do it and could

it ever happen again?

Well, the players did it.

We had some good players here,

and I helped them along

as the manager, but they can

do it again.

If you look at Burnley now,

where they are in the Premiership,

I think at the time I was Sunderland

manager, they were down in maybe

the third or fourth division.

So it can happen.

It's hard work getting

the right players in,

but it can happen.

Peter, good to see you again,

thanks for the memories.

Cheers.

There's your book.

Good man.

18 quid.

But did get his wallet out? The

picture stopped at the key moment!

We had an interview with his dad

on last night's Look North and this

evening the family will be

reflecting on the

England opener Mark Stoneman's

gritty half century down

under against Australia.

Ex-Durham batsman Stoneman, now

with Surrey, was making his maiden

appearance in an Ashes Test series,

which got under way with England

196-4 going into day two,

with cricket fans set to stay

up all night.

And talking of local heroes.

Gateshead's Elliot Slessor has

pulled off a shock at the

Northern Ireland Open snooker.

He's beaten the great

Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-1 and will face

fellow North East player

Sam Craigie, who's from

Wallsend, in round four.

Well done to him.

I always knew it was Christmas when

my Nano bought one of these.

Pointsettias - with their bright

red and green foliage -

have become a fixture in many

people's Christmas traditions.

But the owners of a North Yorkshire

plant nursery, which specialises

in pointsettias, weren't celebrating

when their glass roof was destroyed

by a freak hailstorm.

Yes, thousands of panes of glass

were smashed by giant

hailstones which fell over

Ravensworth Nurseries,

near Richmond, 18 months ago.

Happily, they're now back

in business and about to

ship out a huge batch

of the plants in time for Christmas.

Phil Chapman has more.

The summer hail storm which passed

over Richmond in July 2015

couldn't have picked a much worse

target than the fragile glass roof

of this huge nursery.

It was a bit of a storm,

started around nine o'clock.

It produced hailstones

the size of golf balls.

You could just hear

everything smashing.

I was up the back of my house,

you could hear it.

We lost about every other pane

of glass, about 8000

panes of glass in total,

in the whole nursery,

eight-acre site.

It was a freak accident, they reckon

about a once in 100 years storm.

But today, the fully repaired

nursery was a hive of activity

as they prepare for Christmas

with countless wreathes, trees and,

of course, pointsettias.

We had to replace, otherwise

we wouldn't be able to grow these,

because the come from a much more

temperate climate,

much further south.

So we have to keep

the temperature at 20 degrees.

So without glass, that would be

impossible to keep the heat on them.

To us, this may be a festive plant

to have on our tables at Christmas,

but in its native Mexico,

it's actually a weed,

technically, but a weed

with a very special story.

They're called the flowers

of the holy night, because there

was a little girl called Pipita

who has no gift for the baby Jesus.

And her cousin suggested she pick

up a bunch of flowers,

a bunch of weeds, off

the side of the road,

which she made into a bouquet.

As she put them on the altar,

the flowers suddenly burst into red,

and everyone thought they'd seen

a Christmas miracle.

Yep, popular and our house, they

are. Paul, the weather, wet?

The

weather was on the change again

today, a lot colder and drier over

the next few days. Looking at the

pictures denied, these two that

please to see the back of the rain

as they bleat over the puddles. And

it was a great day for rainbows, a

classic sunshine and showers date,

and this one is fairly typical. The

next Suker she days will see some

fair, dry whether, the odd wintry

showers, a complete change from the

last couple of days. Through this

evening, some showers, wintry over

the hills, but that is the exception

rather than the rule. Exceptionally

dry, dry and cold. Temperatures even

in some towns down towards zero,

certainly called enough for a

widespread fraud overnight so, as.

Cumbria, up into the Pennines, some

widespread icy stretches through the

night and into tomorrow morning. And

icy start for made tomorrow, cold,

bright start, though. Always the

risk of showers, and a little sleep

and slow over high ground. Misplaces

dry Ebright through the day.

Temperatures struggling up to five

at the very best tomorrow afternoon

in that westerly breeze. Into the

weekend, we keep this cold,

northwesterly airflow. Low-pressure

over Scandinavia, high-pressure to

the west, keeping the cold air

through Saturday, but mostly dry.

Through the day after a frosty

start, eastern areas seeing blue

sky. May be showers in the west, and

a chilly northwesterly breeze,

temperatures generally up to six

Celsius. Widespread frosts on

Saturday night, and more of the same

on Sunday. Mostly dry, blue skies

and places, the risk of sleet or

snow showers over the hills, and

colder still with that northwesterly

went stronger on Sunday afternoon.

Although the numbers are similar, a

real chill in the air for Sunday. We

will keep you updated on the

forecast through the weekend on your

BBC local radio station, where you

needs get the latest on BBC weather

app.

So how will our drive home be after

the late shift?

Freezing, certainly.

Right, we'll be careful. We'll

seeded 10:30pm, have a good evening.

Bye-bye.