23/12/2016 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder

after the discovery of a woman's body in Middlesbrough.

Police say the 44-year-old was found late last night

Two men, aged 21 and 53 are being held.

Detectives are asking anyone who might have seen anything

Last minute Christmas shoppers have been making their final dashes

around the North's stores ahead of the holiday weekend.

Hundreds of thousands of people hit the shops today

Some stores were hoping to cash in by staying open until nine

Our first report is from Peter Harris in Middlesbrough.

Frenzied Friday, they call it, and they are not wrong.

He's been working up until yesterday so, yeah, last minute.

We have had to move the car twice, we've been here that long.

Children screaming and laughing and it's lovely.

Today was due to be the busiest shopping day

of all and if Christmas Day does at least offer some respite it

won't be for long because one shop here in Middlesbrough is due to open

at 6am on Boxing Day morning at the start of the sales.

Some think the commercialism is just too much these days.

Well, I always have a look down the road that this time of year

and see how many people I see smile, it's not very many.

I know that we have to shop, but why do the shops have to be open

at 6am on Boxing Day, why is it 6am?

Why is it necessary to open so early?

Back at the shops the throng goes on.

There's nothing quite like leaving it to the last minute.

At the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland people

were grabbing their final gifts on what was said to be the busiest

A couple more things to get and I am completely done.

Car parks are full but everyone is just getting on with it, it's great.

We used to have to wait until January for the sale

but nowadays there are bargains to be had throughout December.

But the next big shopping day is still going to be Boxing Day

I think once customers have spent one day away from shopping

they actually really love to come out on Boxing Day.

We will expect around 90,000 people to be with us today and probably

between 70,000 and 80,000 on Boxing Day.

The unions argue opening the day before and after Christmas

Sometimes Boxing Day is their Christmas Day

to see their children and because they're having to come

out and work they are missing out on that time with their families.

The shoppers seem to already know though if they'd be

This is the only time time I shop this time of year and I will not be

Come on, it's the sales, we're women!

Some at the Bridges already seemed relaxed, even in the Christmas.

You look very calm, have you done your Christmas shopping?

On my wife has done the Christmas shopping,

Meanwhile the emergency services were telling people not to overdo it

if they were out on the town tonight enjoying a festive

The North East Ambulance service has attended nearly

1,000 incidents today, and in many cases they've responded

to people hurting themselves after drinking too much.

Here's our News Correspondent Mark Denten.

You could call it the calm before the storm, only

the storm came first, keeping early revellers away

But until at least January 2nd - yes, that's a bank holiday too -

ten days of partying for some people.

More than 10% of the North East ambulance services calls this week

have been drink related, and those figures are expected

to rise, so this year ambulance crews and police have a new way

Operation Ginger puts a police officer and a paramedic in a vehicle

together to provide swift intervention and triage and

treatment for people who make coming to harm.

This is the safe haven van, designed to be a place where people

who are worse for wear and vulnerable can get help.

Newcastle's street pastors will also play a vital role.

Might get a call from police officers where someone is in a

vulnerable state, especially of the night goes on, vulnerable females,

and they just want us to be a presence and often we will go there

and relieve the other services. Last year we gave first aid to over 400

people. They can save getting an ambulance because we will get them

back on their feet. This mobile medical unit will also

be in the Bigg Market over the holiday period to treat minor

injuries, but the ambulence service could do without some

of the calls its had this week. From a drunk person stuck

in a hole in roadworks. Another who'd had one

drink too many, asking And a patient pulling

a garden gate on themselves. We are still responding to people

with chest pain and people unconscious with breathing

difficulties so for every ambulance that we had to send to someone for a

trivial matter because of alcohol induced matter, that is an ambulance

that is being diverted away from someone who is maybe having a more

life-threatening condition. The message is stay safe,

but remember the people working Well, I will wish

you a Happy Christmas. And if you're on the move

over the next few days, let's find out what our weather's

got in store, with Paul. Storm Barbara brought winds in

excess of 60 miles an hour and that in turn left many homes in Cumbria

without power this afternoon in areas like Maryport and Seascale.

That storm is pulling away now and leaves a legacy of windy weather

tonight. A mix of blustery showers and clear intervals in between.

Temperatures will drop down to about three or 4 degrees. It is too windy

for frost. Christmas Eve starts with the same mix of sunny spells and

scattered blustery showers under strong wind throughout the day.

Towards the end of the day the showers merge into a longer spell of

rain across parts of Cumbria and temperatures

will peak at eight or nine. It will feel colder in those gusty winds.

The winds are feature of the weather throughout the next few days.

Christmas Day has Stallman Conor in the north bringing gusty winds

again. Boxing Day states windy before things start to quieten down

tax to the high pressure building from the West. There is a Met Office

warning for Christmas Day due to the strength of the winds. Most places

dry and mild, very mild. The rain will start to spread down from the

north-west later on. A stark contrast for Boxing Day, it is much

drier and brighter but much cooler, even though it stays windy for the

bulk of the day. Keep up-to-date with a forecast on the BBC weather

app and on your BBC local radio station. Now for the summary. A safe

and happy Christmas. big day? Christmas Day. It will stay

mild and temperatures could reach 14, 15. He is down bet that the

national picture. It will be more northern parts of

the UK that see the worst of the weather. Another storm is developing

in the Atlantic. This will turn into Storm Connor. This cloud has wrapped

around storm