:00:04. > :00:09.Welcome to Look North. Tonight: Police warn that 64 burglars are
:00:09. > :00:13.about to be released from prison, and some are persistent offenders.
:00:13. > :00:16.We'll hear from families left picking up the pieces in the run up
:00:16. > :00:18.to Christmas; and hear why police fear some of the thieves will
:00:18. > :00:21.strike again. And tonight's other top stories:
:00:21. > :00:26.Saving Scarborough from the sea. Plans for major new flood defences
:00:26. > :00:29.to protect the resort. And plenty of pulling power. Find
:00:29. > :00:39.out where you can have your Christmas tree delivered by a 12-
:00:39. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:50.stone Newfoundland dog. Very windy night with gales by
:00:50. > :00:50.
:00:50. > :00:53.tomorrow morning. The latest coming Welcome to the programme. First
:00:53. > :00:56.tonight, police have taken the highly unusual step of warning the
:00:56. > :01:02.public that more than 60 burglars are due to be released from prison
:01:02. > :01:05.before Christmas, and that's just in one city in Yorkshire. Some are
:01:05. > :01:09.repeat offenders, and one senior officer has told us the public
:01:09. > :01:12.should be vigilant, because they may try to do the same again. Our
:01:12. > :01:22.crime correspondent John Cundy has been speaking to police and to
:01:22. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :01:27.burglary victims. I had a big sports bag that was
:01:27. > :01:33.full of presents that needed wrapping. They had ended that over
:01:33. > :01:37.the kitchen table, took the bag to put in the stolen stuff. My drawers
:01:37. > :01:42.were open, all of my personal items were over the floor. They did not
:01:42. > :01:48.get everything, but banks to the burglars, this woman will be
:01:48. > :01:52.struggling to keep her children happy this Christmas. They took an
:01:52. > :01:59.estimated �500 worth of presents. Charlotte and Andrew were not
:01:59. > :02:06.insured. I was really mad. I just burst into tears. They even took a
:02:06. > :02:12.camcorder about we had. I had a video of one of their birth based
:02:12. > :02:17.on. We will never get those images back either. I lived around the
:02:17. > :02:21.corner from my niece who got broken into. They tried mind the night
:02:21. > :02:27.before, but I was lucky because they did not get into mine. But
:02:27. > :02:34.they were not so lucky. Police have tried many ways to crack down on
:02:34. > :02:38.burglars: Sudden raids and burglars made to write to their victims.
:02:39. > :02:44.Even Christmas cards have been sent to them from police warning that
:02:44. > :02:50.they were on their case. This was described as the most
:02:50. > :02:54.crime-ridden Street in the area. Police insist special measures that
:02:54. > :02:58.they have taken have reduced a burglary, -- burglaries but there
:02:58. > :03:02.is still some concern about the number of burglars leaving prison
:03:02. > :03:07.in the run-up to Christmas. number drab December is slightly
:03:07. > :03:12.higher than normal, but not significantly so. In the wider
:03:12. > :03:18.context, in Leeds, we have seen a significant reduction in burglary
:03:18. > :03:27.this year compared to last. I know someone who got their door kicked
:03:27. > :03:32.down when they were in there. Beadell said, -- they were told let
:03:32. > :03:36.us take what we want. We have managed to catch most of the people
:03:36. > :03:41.who have been doing it around here. But police have yet to get the
:03:41. > :03:45.burglar who upset Charlotte Andrew and their family this Christmas.
:03:45. > :03:48.Lots of you have been getting in touch with us via our Facebook page
:03:48. > :03:51.about this story. And it's prompted plenty of questions. Our political
:03:51. > :03:55.editor, Len Tingle, is here to try and answer some of them. Is it
:03:55. > :04:04.normal for 64 to be released in one month or is it because jails are
:04:04. > :04:09.full? You have to remember there are over 1,100 prisoners in Leeds
:04:09. > :04:12.prison. Statistically this is not unusual, but there is pressure on
:04:12. > :04:16.prisons. When this government came in, there were 85,000 prisoners
:04:16. > :04:21.across England and Wales. It instantly announced proposals to
:04:21. > :04:26.reduce that by its 3,000 over the next three years. What has happened
:04:26. > :04:31.is the reverse: We have had the some of the riots so as we speak,
:04:31. > :04:38.the prison population is over 87,000 and rising at about 100 a
:04:38. > :04:41.week. What sort of sentences do you get for burglary? It is the tariff
:04:41. > :04:46.that is suggested by the Ministry of Justice to judges which has gone
:04:46. > :04:52.up recently. If it is a first offence, a suggestion is around 18
:04:52. > :04:57.months. If it is all one burglary, but if it is for two is suggesting
:04:57. > :05:03.is three years. For three burglaries, four years. The maximum
:05:03. > :05:07.under the 1968 theft Act is 14 years. You have to remember that
:05:07. > :05:09.different circumstances have to be taken into account. Any prospect of
:05:09. > :05:19.tougher sentences, aren't all parties supposed to be tough on
:05:19. > :05:20.
:05:20. > :05:24.time and tough on causes of crime? Labour was planning for over 90,000
:05:24. > :05:26.in prison so they thought they had to be tougher, but if you talk to
:05:26. > :05:34.prison reform organisations they would say you have to look at how
:05:34. > :05:36.many people offend again. It is a shockingly high number. Thank you.
:05:36. > :05:39.Next tonight, it's feared one of Scarborough's most famous buildings
:05:39. > :05:42.could be lost forever if new sea defences aren't put in place. The
:05:42. > :05:45.newly refurbished Spa Theatre sits on the old sea wall which is
:05:45. > :05:47.constantly being battered by the tide. The surrounding cliffs have
:05:47. > :05:50.already eroded and footpaths have been closed. Now Scarborough
:05:50. > :05:57.Council wants to spend �20 million on a new sea wall. Michelle Lyons
:05:57. > :06:02.reports. Surfers are made of Hardy staff, or
:06:02. > :06:06.riding the waves in temperatures near-freezing. But not as sturdy
:06:06. > :06:10.are the sea defences. At 170 years old, they are starting to show
:06:10. > :06:14.their age, not surprising considering the battering they had
:06:14. > :06:19.taken over the decades. The sea wall was first built in the
:06:19. > :06:23.Victorian period -- era when the spot was in its heyday. Until now
:06:23. > :06:28.it has stood the test of time, but council officials fear the eroding
:06:28. > :06:35.coastline could put the building at risk. This takes a lot of padding.
:06:35. > :06:38.We have pictures showing waves up to 40 ft in height. That is the
:06:38. > :06:43.ferocity of the waves we are experiencing, and it will only get
:06:43. > :06:49.worse because of climate change, the rising of the EEC levels and
:06:49. > :06:53.the frosty winters. The council has drawn up plans for new defences.
:06:53. > :06:57.One design uses rocks to protect the eroding coastline, another it
:06:57. > :07:02.uses steps. Both will cost up to �20 million.
:07:02. > :07:07.That may seem like a lot of money for this side, but when you
:07:07. > :07:10.consider what could be lost into the sea, some say it is a mere drop
:07:10. > :07:16.in the ocean. When you look at this fantastic
:07:16. > :07:20.building, the work has to be done. But it is a building that is iconic
:07:20. > :07:25.in Scarborough, and obviously I put shows on there and have spent a lot
:07:25. > :07:30.of my life there, but it is huge and a wonderful and we are trying
:07:30. > :07:34.to save it. If that is what it costs, then that is what it costs.
:07:34. > :07:39.While it does not look in any imminent danger, these dramatic
:07:39. > :07:45.images are a stark reminder of how quickly the coastline can change.
:07:45. > :07:49.Back in 1993, this hotel slipped into the sea just one kilometre
:07:49. > :07:54.away from the spot. New sea defences will protect his iconic
:07:54. > :07:59.building from a similar fate. The council will not know for another
:07:59. > :08:03.two years whether it has received funding from central government.
:08:03. > :08:05.Later on Look North, in memory of Ted Hughes. The Yorkshireman is
:08:05. > :08:15.honoured in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner among some of the
:08:15. > :08:16.
:08:16. > :08:19.A woman who was buried alive in a box has told Leeds Crown Court she
:08:19. > :08:22.was attacked with a stun gun, bound and gagged and taken to the West
:08:22. > :08:28.Yorkshire countryside where she was dumped. Michelina Lewandowska
:08:28. > :08:33.alleges her former partner carried out the attack with another man.
:08:33. > :08:43.The two men deny attempted murder. Our correspondent Ed Thomas is in
:08:43. > :08:43.
:08:43. > :08:47.Huddersfield. Yes, she spoke only in Polish in
:08:47. > :08:52.that court today. She also spoke behind a screen to protect her
:08:52. > :08:57.identity. She relived the moments she said she was attacked by her
:08:57. > :09:02.former partner before being taken to not far from where I am and
:09:02. > :09:06.buried alive. The prosecution said this happened because her former
:09:06. > :09:10.partner of became bored with life with her and wanted to start again
:09:10. > :09:15.with their child. She was asked to describe what happened inside the
:09:15. > :09:21.house that day. She said, after being tasted, I was bound and
:09:21. > :09:26.gagged in a computer box. Her former boyfriend was helped by his
:09:26. > :09:32.friend before she was driven here. They climbed to Weyhill, dug a hole
:09:32. > :09:37.before she was placed inside. She then said how she used her
:09:37. > :09:42.engagement ring to scratch a hole in the box and escape. Her former
:09:42. > :09:45.boyfriend denied attempted murder, so does his friend. The case is
:09:45. > :09:48.expected to continue tomorrow. Thank you.
:09:48. > :09:50.Police have arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of murder after a
:09:51. > :09:54.fatal stabbing in Barnsley. Officers were called to a
:09:54. > :09:57.disturbance at a house in Colley Crescent in Kendray overnight. A
:09:57. > :10:02.29-year-old man who hasn't been named was treated by paramedics but
:10:02. > :10:05.he later died. It's been announced that the
:10:05. > :10:08.funeral of the former Leeds and Sheffield United footballer Gary
:10:08. > :10:12.Speed will take place later this week. The Wales manager was found
:10:12. > :10:16.hanged at his home nine days ago. The funeral will only be for family
:10:16. > :10:21.and close friends. A memorial service is also being planned for
:10:21. > :10:23.the New Year, when fans can pay their respects.
:10:23. > :10:26.An �11 million modernisation programme at Leeds Bradford Airport
:10:27. > :10:31.has begun. Bosses there say passengers will see new shops and
:10:31. > :10:38.restaurants. The security and check in areas will be extended. Its
:10:38. > :10:45.hoped the expansion will boost the local economy. -- it is hoped.
:10:45. > :10:51.of our beans is looking at where we can create good local supply chains.
:10:51. > :10:54.We have fantastic businesses here. This is a further investment in
:10:54. > :10:57.them. The money spent here will go back into the regional economy.
:10:57. > :11:00.And on the late Look North with Nik at 10.25pm tonight we'll have more
:11:00. > :11:04.on that story and what it could mean for business in Yorkshire.
:11:04. > :11:06.It's as American as apple pie, but now the famous Oreo cookie is to be
:11:06. > :11:09.manufactured right here in Yorkshire. Kraft foods, which took
:11:09. > :11:13.over Cadburys, spending �6 million pounds on a new production line at
:11:13. > :11:16.its factory in Sheffield to make the cookies. It'll mean 20 new
:11:16. > :11:24.manufacturing jobs in Sheffield, although 200 jobs are going at
:11:24. > :11:29.Kraft plants elsewhere in the country.
:11:29. > :11:33.The factory is marvellous. We have looked to see if we can bring in
:11:33. > :11:38.other biscuit brands into that site. A lot of work has gone into this, a
:11:38. > :11:42.lot of research, but we believe we can effectively make an managed
:11:42. > :11:45.brands like this at our site in Sheffield. It is only good news for
:11:45. > :11:49.the future. A mobility scooter has been seized by Doncaster Council
:11:49. > :11:52.after it was spotted racing around fields at speeds of 60 miles per
:11:52. > :12:02.hour scaring wild deer and annoying locals. It was removed from the 24
:12:02. > :12:04.year old rider by police. Soldiers from Yorkshire are
:12:04. > :12:07.preparing to spend Christmas in Afghanistan, thousands of miles
:12:07. > :12:10.away from their loved ones. Not all are fighting on the frontline.
:12:10. > :12:20.We've been talking to two Yorkshire soldiers who've been helping train
:12:20. > :12:30.
:12:30. > :12:35.the Afghan Police. Ian White It is a battle zone, but it is also
:12:35. > :12:39.where these youngsters lived. Afghanistan is home for these
:12:39. > :12:45.people, but also fought soldiers from Yorkshire. They have been
:12:45. > :12:51.helping train local policeman and soon it their work will be done.
:12:51. > :12:54.Control is to be handed back to the locals. It has been good to work
:12:54. > :12:58.with them and see their style of doing things, and also learning
:12:58. > :13:02.from them and they are learning from us. The locals in this area
:13:02. > :13:07.are more than happy to see us. They'd come up and talk, their
:13:07. > :13:14.children take our hands, some of the lads will talk and downs with
:13:14. > :13:21.the children. Private Elizabeth France -- Crossland is just 18. She
:13:21. > :13:25.is just one of two women stationed here. The Afghanis do not get to
:13:25. > :13:29.see that many women so they get excited when they see me. They
:13:29. > :13:32.chase me and asked me questions. People don't realise how lucky they
:13:32. > :13:36.are. When you come and see a country like this, you realise what
:13:36. > :13:39.it is really like. They will be spending Christmas thousands of
:13:39. > :13:45.miles away from their loved ones, but Mackie says he will be making
:13:45. > :13:49.the most of things. The lads will make it a bit better with the jokes
:13:49. > :13:57.and at least I don't have to do the washing up after dinner. Soon, this
:13:57. > :14:05.part of Helmand province will be back in the hands of Afghans and be
:14:05. > :14:08.sold us hope they will have made a A crack down on families who take
:14:08. > :14:15.their children out to school during term time has started in Keith
:14:15. > :14:20.Flett. The seats were filled, at this
:14:20. > :14:24.stage lit dramatically. This was a premiere for a film made in five
:14:24. > :14:29.languages to try and stop kids from missing school. Every school here
:14:29. > :14:33.has come together it to make this film. We are making the school
:14:33. > :14:39.because hundreds of school days are lost from children being late for
:14:39. > :14:43.missing school. Nationally, about 5% of primary school days are a
:14:43. > :14:48.must in England. The figure is higher in Yorkshire and higher
:14:48. > :14:53.still in Bradford. Keith Lee has one of the highest at -- worst
:14:53. > :14:57.attendance figures in the country. Now there is a warning. If your
:14:57. > :15:02.child does not go to school regularly term-time holidays will
:15:02. > :15:08.not be what -- allowed. Pupils could even lose their place on the
:15:08. > :15:13.school roll. Good attendance means children are happy, safe, we know
:15:13. > :15:18.for they are. Better attendance means better achievement,
:15:18. > :15:23.ultimately to better life choices. Why is there such a problem here?
:15:23. > :15:28.First of all, it is the extended leave. It could be families going
:15:28. > :15:34.abroad for a number of months at a time. It tends to mainly the
:15:34. > :15:39.families with Pakistani heritage. It would appear that we seem to be
:15:39. > :15:44.as little bit worse than most places. They are also using bribery.
:15:44. > :15:50.Every week, the class with the best attendance gets 10 minutes of extra
:15:50. > :15:55.playtime. Every term, up one people with 100% attendance wins and your
:15:55. > :16:01.iPod. It is hoped that the combination between this film and
:16:01. > :16:06.threats will keep classes full. Stay with us. How is this for a
:16:06. > :16:16.special delivery? 12 stone in Newfoundland dogs helping to
:16:16. > :16:16.
:16:16. > :16:21.transport Christmas trees in Dalby Forest.
:16:21. > :16:26.Of course, everyone knows that the poet Ted Hughes was from a tiny
:16:26. > :16:31.little town just outside Halifax. Tonight, a memorial stone has been
:16:31. > :16:37.dedicated to him in a special service at Westminster Abbey. The
:16:37. > :16:45.stone is being laid at Poet's Corner. I spent the day at the
:16:45. > :16:50.place where Ted Hughes was born. This is the birthplace of Ted
:16:50. > :16:55.Hughes. Although he left aged eight, throughout his life he was drawn
:16:55. > :17:01.back. It is where his parents returned and where his wife, Sylvia
:17:01. > :17:07.Plath, is laid to rest. More importantly, his childhood
:17:07. > :17:13.playground the secret valley. This was his escape. He came here
:17:13. > :17:17.with his brother and they would Camperdown their and recalled that
:17:17. > :17:25.her Happy Valley. It was such a special place to him. Down there
:17:25. > :17:32.there is at campsite where he woke up in though morning and claimed he
:17:32. > :17:38.knew he was going to be a poet. know of that bilberry bank, that a
:17:38. > :17:47.victory which is there yet and not changed. Where these words written
:17:47. > :17:53.here? He may have been a wanderer, but this place shaped his world.
:17:53. > :17:58.Snowdrop. Now is the globe shrunk tight through the my sister Olwyn
:17:58. > :18:04.to the heart. Ted Hughes has influenced a new generation of
:18:04. > :18:08.poets and today they celebrate his rightful place in Poet's Corner.
:18:09. > :18:16.Even though they are very rich and mysterious and complex, there is
:18:16. > :18:23.something there on the surface, on the page, for everybody. There was
:18:23. > :18:28.a part of him that was always here. He said it was his tuning fork.
:18:28. > :18:33.Hughes, poet Laureate, now honoured at Westminster Abbey. A
:18:33. > :18:39.Yorkshireman. The service is underway at
:18:39. > :18:44.Westminster Abbey. A very eclectic mix of people
:18:44. > :18:49.tonight. It not just family and friends but fellow writers as well.
:18:49. > :18:56.Fellow writers and performers. Juliet Stevenson will be making a
:18:56. > :19:00.writer -- a reading. That is testament to the influence that Ted
:19:00. > :19:05.Hughes had on society. He was named as one of the greatest writers of
:19:05. > :19:08.his generation but too many people he was much more than that. I spoke
:19:09. > :19:12.to one friend about the rich influence he had had on Ted
:19:12. > :19:16.Hughes's's wife. What was it like to have that
:19:16. > :19:22.correspondence from such an young age? It was very exciting because
:19:22. > :19:29.he was the first poet I started reading at school. It was right --
:19:29. > :19:34.it was like writing to Blake or Shakespeare or someone. It was
:19:34. > :19:38.fantastic. I had to three letters in the selected writer -- selected
:19:38. > :19:46.writers that they brought out. started writing that you and giving
:19:46. > :19:50.criticism? Yes. He's to right-back with comments. I had a letter a
:19:50. > :20:00.couple of weeks before he died when he took the time to write comments
:20:00. > :20:00.
:20:00. > :20:04.on my pawns. He was a very generous spirited man. -- on my poems.
:20:04. > :20:12.come from Huddersfield. That is part of the world where he is still
:20:12. > :20:18.fondly remembered. What is his enduring legacy? I guess just as
:20:18. > :20:26.one of the great poets of our times. He is in that line from Chaucer to
:20:26. > :20:32.Shakespeare through bleak and Wordsworth and I am one of the
:20:32. > :20:39.directors of an organisation that promotes his work. We try and keep
:20:39. > :20:48.his work alive. Would he have been embarrassed to have a stone in
:20:48. > :20:53.Port's corner? I think he was quite a shy man. The few times I met him.
:20:53. > :20:58.I think he would have felt quite honoured. Particularly to be near
:20:58. > :21:04.TS Eliot's stone. I think that would have meant a great deal to
:21:04. > :21:14.him. Gerard Manley Hopkins is also close by. At --. These are all the
:21:14. > :21:14.
:21:14. > :21:20.people he revered. Thank you very much.
:21:20. > :21:24.Sole from Yorkshire to Westminster Abbey, not a bad career. I have
:21:24. > :21:32.heard at least two people say that the first -- the reason they got
:21:32. > :21:40.into writing was because of Ted Hughes's work. Tonight there will
:21:40. > :21:46.be a corner of Westminster Abbey that is forever Yorkshire.
:21:46. > :21:50.It would have been nice if it was made out of Yorkshire granite.
:21:50. > :21:55.Here is the biggest story of the day.
:21:55. > :22:00.Look at it behind me! Down at Dalby Forest they have got some new
:22:00. > :22:06.recruits helping out with Christmas tree cells. They are a little on
:22:06. > :22:12.the large side! Christmas is great. But not that
:22:12. > :22:18.green. What with all the tinsel and paper and transport costs. Here at
:22:18. > :22:27.Dalby Forest they are trying to cut the carbon Footprint a little and
:22:27. > :22:32.leave instead a very big pot -- pop front. This is an Newfoundland dog.
:22:32. > :22:36.It is capable of pulling 50 times its own body weight. A cart and a
:22:36. > :22:41.couple of Christmas trees is nothing to him. For a small
:22:41. > :22:48.donation to charity, they will be towing trees to the car park. A
:22:48. > :22:54.good use for a big dog! They are lovely, a docile dogs but you can
:22:54. > :22:58.work them. First and foremost the look of some, it they are beautiful,
:22:58. > :23:07.but their temperament is fantastic. I also wanted a dog I could work
:23:07. > :23:16.with. The down sides are slobber and far in your fridge. They only
:23:16. > :23:20.come in three sizes. Large, extra- large and all my God. This Dhokia
:23:20. > :23:24.is 13 1/2 stone. A decent weight for a rugby player. A little
:23:24. > :23:34.worrying when you see what happens when eight stone and Maddie wants
:23:34. > :23:44.to go for a walk. If you were thinking, for either because... It
:23:44. > :23:46.
:23:46. > :23:51.is because they are wet. At these stocks are -- these dogs do best --
:23:51. > :24:00.breaststroke. Towing Christmas trees is probably a little beneath
:24:00. > :24:10.them. Let us have a look at that gorgeous
:24:10. > :24:10.
:24:10. > :24:20.thing. Paul, get out the shot! What is the news, Paul?
:24:20. > :24:23.
:24:23. > :24:26.Grandma, or we love you! Es a little baby born in Australia.
:24:26. > :24:36.Writing with your suggestions as to what I should be called!
:24:36. > :24:46.Linda says, because she is so generous, glamorous Grande Marque.
:24:46. > :24:58.
:24:58. > :25:07.Three lovely pictures. That gives you an indication of the snow line.
:25:07. > :25:17.It is the pit -- Peak District that has got it to the most.
:25:17. > :25:27.
:25:27. > :25:37.The main focus of the forecast is in the next 12 boroughs is the
:25:37. > :25:38.
:25:38. > :25:43.gales. Possibly severe gales later on Thursday. -- next 12 hours.
:25:43. > :25:51.Atlantic weather systems steaming in from the West. You can see from
:25:51. > :25:56.the closely packed isobars that the winds will be dusting. Right now,
:25:56. > :26:02.we have got outbreaks of rain and drizzle across much of Yorkshire.
:26:02. > :26:10.We have had reports of snow in some areas. Mostly over the tops of
:26:10. > :26:20.hills. Elsewhere, a miserable night with rain and sleet. Winds will pay
:26:20. > :26:22.
:26:22. > :26:32.Cup. -- Peck up. Nowhere near as I see as it was first thing this
:26:32. > :26:40.
:26:40. > :26:44.morning. A very windy day indeed. Deals for much of the day. The
:26:44. > :26:54.showers are going to struggle to get any further east words. Many
:26:54. > :27:06.
:27:06. > :27:12.areas dry it with some sunshine. Thursday, it will turn wet and
:27:12. > :27:18.windy from the West. By the end of the day we could have severe gales.