:00:04. > :00:08.Good evening, and welcome to North West Tonight, with Gordon Burns and
:00:08. > :00:11.Ranvir Singh. Our top story: Going through the roof - the huge
:00:11. > :00:14.surge in metal thefts, as one street is raided eight times in
:00:14. > :00:17.three days. With scrap metal prices soaring,
:00:17. > :00:21.police and business leaders tell us what they're doing to tackle the
:00:21. > :00:25.problem. Also in the programme, wishing
:00:25. > :00:31.Kieran well. A mum's anxious wait as her son undergoes pioneering
:00:31. > :00:34.treatment for cerebral palsy. was smiling all the way through to
:00:34. > :00:38.the surgery doors. And we're talking to Jessica Ennis,
:00:38. > :00:40.the face of the Olympics, as she puts a smile on these children's
:00:40. > :00:43.faces. And polish up your pasodoble, work
:00:43. > :00:53.on your waltz, because the Strictly Come Dancing final is coming to
:00:53. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:06.Stripped roofs, missing statues and stolen church bells. Just some of
:01:06. > :01:09.the recent losses to metal theft across the region. Today,
:01:09. > :01:12.Manchester Police announced plans for a new crackdown after revealing
:01:12. > :01:18.that the force has dealt with more than 3,000 incidents in the last
:01:18. > :01:25.six months alone. And in just three days last week, thieves targeted
:01:25. > :01:29.one street in the north of the city eight times. Abbie Jones is here,
:01:29. > :01:38.and it's on the rise, isn't it? and today's figures from Greater
:01:38. > :01:41.Manchester Police really drive that home. In the 12 months ending in
:01:41. > :01:48.March last year, there was a massive 76% increase on the year
:01:48. > :01:54.before, that jump partly due to rocketing metal prices. Take copper.
:01:54. > :01:57.Two years ago it was just under �900 a tonne. In March this year,
:01:57. > :02:03.it's over �1,400. So thieves are going to even greater, more daring
:02:03. > :02:11.lengths. I have got a flat roof and the lead is going missing there as
:02:11. > :02:17.well. In the dead of night, thieves
:02:17. > :02:21.scaled the roof of Theo Samuels' house three times. I am a bit
:02:21. > :02:25.worried because it is starting to rain. Almost every house on one
:02:25. > :02:30.side of Pennel Street, in Clayton, has been targeted. It was so
:02:30. > :02:33.annoying. Why would you do that knowing children are living there.
:02:33. > :02:40.The scrap value of metal has shot up because of huge demand in India
:02:40. > :02:45.and China. The problem is is significantly growing. It did so
:02:45. > :02:55.last year and is doing so is this year. Some of the thefts will be
:02:55. > :02:56.
:02:56. > :03:01.very covert but some will be very visible. It seems nobody or know
:03:01. > :03:04.where is safe from these metal fees. Railway lines, stations, parks.
:03:04. > :03:08.Last year, more than 250 metal memorial plaques were stolen from a
:03:08. > :03:11.Salford cemetery. One of the country's oldest church bells was
:03:11. > :03:15.taken in broad daylight in Cheshire. Even this Blackburn police station
:03:15. > :03:20.was targeted. In Blackpool's Stanley Park, thieves stole three
:03:20. > :03:28.historic statues. Today the council said it had no option but to remove
:03:28. > :03:32.the last remaining figure. We were not prepared to sit by and let the
:03:32. > :03:36.last one Gopal stop these statues are worth in the region of �40,000
:03:36. > :03:40.each, so we have taken it away place where we can think about what
:03:40. > :03:44.to do in the future. Metal theft costs UK industry over �770 million
:03:44. > :03:50.a year. Theo and other residents now face a bill of around �160 each
:03:51. > :03:52.after their late-night visits. A short time ago, I asked Ian
:03:53. > :04:02.Hetherington from the British Metals Recycling Association who
:04:03. > :04:03.
:04:03. > :04:10.the thieves where selling their stolen metals to. There is an
:04:10. > :04:14.outlet for stolen metal to two outlets. One is illegal dealers and
:04:14. > :04:20.the other is people who are stealing to order and that material
:04:20. > :04:24.is directly exported. It does not hit the UK trade at all. But those
:04:24. > :04:30.who buy stolen metal would know it is stolen. Is that what you're
:04:30. > :04:35.saying? Some of the material would be easily identifiable. At other
:04:35. > :04:43.levels, they are very difficult to identify, for example, refurbished
:04:43. > :04:46.manhole covers. If it was normally replaced, it looks very similar to
:04:46. > :04:50.a stole a manhole cover which has been deliberately damaged or stop
:04:50. > :04:55.the two look very similar and it is difficult for a responsible dealer
:04:55. > :05:00.to identify between them. Last year you have launched a code of conduct
:05:00. > :05:04.for your members. How does that help? We have agreed with the
:05:04. > :05:09.police that the primary purpose is to identify the cellar. In other
:05:09. > :05:13.words, if there is still no material in circulation, our
:05:13. > :05:19.members should know about it and we endeavoured to make sure they do,
:05:19. > :05:23.and secondly, the seller, if there is stolen metal purchased by a
:05:23. > :05:31.member, they can be readily identified. Will that be enough,
:05:31. > :05:41.because the figures suggest metal theft is on the rise and it. 70 fit
:05:41. > :05:45.-- and it. 76% last year. Metal prices have increased and we
:05:45. > :05:55.probably will not be able to eliminate the theft completely. But
:05:55. > :05:56.
:05:56. > :06:03.we believe if they have a crackdown, we can go a long way towards
:06:03. > :06:05.eradicating this problem. Thank you for joining us.
:06:05. > :06:11.Five Merseyside police officers have been sacked for gross
:06:11. > :06:15.misconduct. They were members of an elite unit caught clowning around
:06:15. > :06:18.when they were supposed to be conducting a search of a house. The
:06:18. > :06:21.force's deputy chief constable says he hopes the actions of this small
:06:21. > :06:25.minority will not have damaged public trust. Our chief reporter,
:06:25. > :06:34.Dave Guest, is at Merseyside Police Headquarters now. So, Dave, what
:06:34. > :06:38.did they do? These were officers who had a very serious job to do -
:06:38. > :06:43.getting guns and gangs off the streets of Merseyside. But it seems
:06:43. > :06:52.they did not take their job very seriously. They posed for 80
:06:52. > :06:56.photograph and they were seen with household goods. This was not quite
:06:56. > :07:00.the image they wanted for their crack team. They have actually been
:07:00. > :07:04.very successful in getting guns off the streets of Merseyside and there
:07:04. > :07:13.has been a great reduction in gun crime. So this photo has the
:07:13. > :07:23.potential to undo a lot of work. How were they found out?
:07:23. > :07:23.
:07:23. > :07:33.investigation began following indications they have been using it
:07:33. > :07:35.
:07:35. > :07:39.eBay after their investigations. That was to his cell off things
:07:39. > :07:40.from the houses they investigated. Clearly this is all very
:07:40. > :07:43.embarrassing for Merseyside Police?$$YELLOW We expect the
:07:43. > :07:53.highest standards from our officers and these officers fell far short
:07:53. > :08:06.
:08:06. > :08:16.of that expectation. The deputy said he hoped he -- this would not
:08:16. > :08:20.undermine confidence in the teens. A woman from Cumbria is among three
:08:20. > :08:23.people killed in a minibus crash in Jamaica. Kathleen Rawlinson, from
:08:23. > :08:26.Windermere, was travelling between Kingston and Montego Bay in the
:08:26. > :08:29.early hours of Sunday morning when her vehicle collided with a pick-up
:08:29. > :08:31.truck. Her ex-partner and his 17- year-old daughter also died in the
:08:31. > :08:34.accident. Fire crews have spent the day
:08:34. > :08:38.dealing with a fire on a �50 million building development in
:08:38. > :08:41.Salford. Up to 50 fire fighters tackled the blaze at its peak on
:08:41. > :08:44.the Radclyffe Park Site in Ordsall. There have been no reported
:08:44. > :08:46.casualties but an investigation into the cause of the fire is being
:08:46. > :08:49.launched. The administrators of discount
:08:49. > :08:55.store TJ Hughes have announced 22 stores will close and 1,000 staff
:08:55. > :08:58.made redundant within the next fortnight. All stores not affected
:08:58. > :09:00.by the closures announced today are expected to remain open. Earlier
:09:00. > :09:05.this week, the flagship store in Liverpool and three other stores
:09:05. > :09:07.were sold, saving around 440 jobs. A second brother of a man stabbed
:09:07. > :09:10.to death during an attempted burglary at a Manchester florists
:09:10. > :09:14.has been charged with robbery. 24- year-old Joseph Mullings, from
:09:14. > :09:17.Liverpool, was remanded in custody at Trafford Magistrates today. His
:09:18. > :09:20.brother Kyle was remanded on the same charge on Monday. Shopkeeper
:09:20. > :09:26.Cecil Coley remains on bail on suspicion of murdering their
:09:26. > :09:29.brother, Gary Mullings. Dozens of customers of a car centre
:09:29. > :09:32.in Warrington say vehicles they've bought or paid deposits for have
:09:32. > :09:35.vanished, along with the company's owners. One man said he'd given the
:09:35. > :09:39.Car Planet on Farrell Street more than �180,000 for four luxury
:09:39. > :09:41.vehicles, but when he came to collect them, there was no trace. A
:09:41. > :09:51.Japanese trader also said she's waiting on �300,000 worth of stock
:09:51. > :09:52.
:09:52. > :09:55.which has been paid for. Police inquiries continue.
:09:55. > :09:59.The house of business tycoon Trevor Baines was open for viewings today
:09:59. > :10:02.on the Isle of Man, ahead of an auction of its contents tomorrow.
:10:02. > :10:05.Baines was jailed two years ago for money laundering, and the Isle of
:10:05. > :10:15.Man coroner has now ordered the sale of his household contents.
:10:15. > :10:23.There are over 500 items available, all with no reserve price. I would
:10:23. > :10:28.hope to sell at about one each minute. A bit slower for the art,
:10:28. > :10:32.but if I average that, that is 500 minutes. My maths is and brilliant
:10:32. > :10:40.but it is between seven and eight hours, so I would hope to get away
:10:40. > :10:42.at about 8pm tomorrow night. All this week on BBC North West
:10:43. > :10:46.Tonight, we've been following the progress of a remarkable five-year-
:10:46. > :10:50.old from Urmston. Kieran Forde- Thain was born with a form of
:10:50. > :10:53.cerebral palsy and he had one simple wish. To run and walk like
:10:53. > :10:57.his friends. The treatment he needs is not available in the UK but many
:10:57. > :11:01.of you helped raise �55,000 for him to go to Missouri in America to
:11:01. > :11:03.have a life-changing operation. And tonight, in the final part of our
:11:03. > :11:13.series, Elaine Dunkley goes into the operating theatre with Kieran,
:11:13. > :11:14.
:11:14. > :11:19.as he undergoes pioneering surgery. Just to warn you, there are scenes
:11:19. > :11:27.of the operation. It is five am, the day of Kieran's
:11:27. > :11:32.operation. Are you excited? I am excited for you as well. This is a
:11:32. > :11:36.really good day for you. These children's hospital has a
:11:36. > :11:39.specialist team of consultants. They will perform a procedure
:11:39. > :11:45.called selective dorsal rhizotomy. In the past year, they have treated
:11:45. > :11:54.50 children from the UK and now it is Kieran's turned. Here we go. I
:11:54. > :11:58.think mum wants a hug and a kiss. A big smile. Kieran's operation
:11:58. > :12:03.should last around three hours. After that committee will be taken
:12:03. > :12:08.to intensive care, and after three days, hopefully we should see some
:12:08. > :12:13.results. The procedure is invasive and irreversible. Nerves in the
:12:13. > :12:18.spinal cord are cut in order to increase muscle tone. It will be
:12:18. > :12:24.followed by months of intensive physiotherapy. I am so glad he was
:12:24. > :12:32.relaxed. He was smiling all the way through to the surgery doors.
:12:32. > :12:38.will be able to walk by himself without support, and that will
:12:38. > :12:48.improve the quality of his life and the quality of his family as well,
:12:48. > :12:48.
:12:48. > :12:52.because he will not need any special care. The following day,
:12:53. > :13:00.after a stress on night, Kieran is slowly getting back to his usual
:13:00. > :13:05.self. -- after a stress all night. It is important people do know that
:13:05. > :13:09.we are grateful for everything people have done. He is going to be
:13:09. > :13:18.a long way ahead but we could not have done it without everyone's
:13:18. > :13:28.help. Are you OK? Well done for us stop a day after the operation, he
:13:28. > :13:33.
:13:34. > :13:38.is up and about on a short trip to Look at those beautiful flowers.
:13:38. > :13:45.Kieran core have to undergo another operation, followed by a period of
:13:45. > :13:51.recovery. -- Kieron will have to undergo. We did as much as we could
:13:51. > :13:55.for him. We have made it the best we could. I do not think we could
:13:55. > :13:59.have answered him honestly if we had not done this. Could you
:13:59. > :14:07.imagine in 20 years' time, when he says, could it have been better?
:14:07. > :14:15.And we say, yeah, but we were scared or we were not sure. There
:14:15. > :14:18.is no regrets now. We have done it. Elaine's spoken to the family, who
:14:18. > :14:23.are still out in America and who say Kieran's now able able to
:14:23. > :14:26.wiggle his toes for the first time and he's having lots of physio.
:14:26. > :14:36.He's now due to have a second operation on 11th August, and after
:14:36. > :14:43.
:14:43. > :14:49.that we'll hopefully have him in He is an incredible trialled. We
:14:49. > :14:53.wish him the best. -- an incredible child.
:14:53. > :14:56.Still to come in North West Tonight, with two days to kick-off, we look
:14:56. > :15:00.at our teams' chances of going up, or down, from League One.
:15:00. > :15:08.And strictly coming to a ballroom near you. Bruce and Tess, and this
:15:08. > :15:12.year's final in Blackpool. Hopefully 40 million people will
:15:12. > :15:17.see this in 3D, so the knock-on effect is good for the resort as a
:15:17. > :15:22.whole. Last week we reported on the
:15:22. > :15:25.closure of libraries across the region. But when people living on
:15:25. > :15:28.an isolated estate in Stalybridge lost their mobile service, they
:15:28. > :15:31.decided to take the matter into their own hands. They managed to
:15:31. > :15:34.acquire an old portacabin, and now they've set up their own library,
:15:34. > :15:44.complete with more than 3,000 books. Colin Sykes has been thumbing
:15:44. > :15:47.
:15:47. > :15:55.It operates like a council library. It issues its own tickets. But all
:15:55. > :15:59.the helpers are volunteers, and the books have been donated. I am
:15:59. > :16:02.reading this. The library is in a portacabin at Carrbrook. When the
:16:02. > :16:05.council pulled its mobile library, residents banded together and
:16:06. > :16:14.persuaded landowners to donate some wasteland. Another company donated
:16:14. > :16:17.the portacabin and the books have come from local people. Hi, all
:16:18. > :16:24.right? Congratulations. It's the brainchild of retired chef Terry
:16:24. > :16:29.Drabble. We are providing a service for the young children, and not
:16:29. > :16:34.only that, it is free of charge. All we ask for is that there is no
:16:34. > :16:42.damage to the books and now with 3,500 books, we have only had one
:16:42. > :16:46.damaged. Because the books have been donated, we have quite an
:16:46. > :16:53.unusual collection. We have Dick Francis and the books of the very
:16:53. > :16:57.youngest of readers. I have loads of books to interest me. I like to
:16:57. > :17:02.read True stories because it interests me in the True Adventures
:17:02. > :17:06.of what happened to young children when they were little. I feel more
:17:06. > :17:09.confident now in Reading because I did not used to read as much but
:17:09. > :17:14.now I read more than I used to. library committee's turned the rest
:17:14. > :17:23.of the site into a garden and veg plot. But it is books it really
:17:23. > :17:29.wants, to continue to grow the minds of its lenders.
:17:29. > :17:32.That looks like a good place to live. Everybody falling together. -
:17:32. > :17:35.- everybody pulling together. She's the golden girl of British
:17:35. > :17:38.athletics, but just a few weeks before defending her heptathlon
:17:38. > :17:41.world title, Jessica Ennis was in the region to coach rather than
:17:41. > :17:43.compete. Jessica, who is the face of next year's Olympics, was
:17:44. > :17:46.dishing out advice to young athletes in Stockport, and they got
:17:46. > :17:49.the chance to ask her a few personal questions, as Stuart
:17:49. > :17:54.Pollitt reports. The long jumps weren't as long as
:17:54. > :18:01.she's used to. The shortened javelins weren't thrown quite as
:18:01. > :18:10.far as Jessica manages. But luckily for these youngsters, they had the
:18:10. > :18:17.ideal coach. The goal from the city of steel came to Berlin, hunting
:18:17. > :18:23.for gold, and she has done it. the goal. She gave me a lot of
:18:23. > :18:28.encouragement for the javelin and showed me how to do it. Do you
:18:28. > :18:32.think you can get to her standard? I don't think we will be that good
:18:32. > :18:42.but I loved it. As you can see, we have got half the club committee
:18:42. > :18:43.
:18:43. > :18:48.here taking the day off work, so everybody is chaffed. It is amazing.
:18:48. > :18:57.What size with you in your shoes when you first started? That is
:18:57. > :19:04.such a hard question! I honestly cannot remember. What was your
:19:04. > :19:08.favourite subject at school? PE was definitely one of my favourites and
:19:08. > :19:14.I also enjoyed English. How many gold medals in next year's
:19:14. > :19:18.Olympics? Well, if I am honest, I would love to get one. That is more
:19:18. > :19:22.than enough for me. Jessica began her athletics career at one of
:19:22. > :19:32.these sessions. 16 years later, her visit is helping to inspire the
:19:32. > :19:37.
:19:37. > :19:39.The countdown to the new Football League season now reads just 25
:19:39. > :19:49.hours, with Blackpool kicking things off away to Hull City
:19:49. > :19:56.
:19:56. > :20:02.tomorrow night. The full-back in Burnley has had a serious injury,
:20:02. > :20:04.so some bad news to begin with. We'll preview the Championship
:20:04. > :20:13.campaign tomorrow night, but this evening, Tony Livesey is focusing
:20:13. > :20:23.on the prospects for the North West's five League One teams.
:20:23. > :20:25.
:20:25. > :20:31.300 games as player, 500 as manager and a legend at Oldham Athletic.
:20:31. > :20:35.His first full season as manager, I think consolidation going around.
:20:35. > :20:44.If they keep Andy Bishop fit, I do not think they will have any
:20:44. > :20:52.problems. Tranmere - disappointing last season and I know of Les Parry
:20:52. > :20:59.is targeting the promotion play- offs. Dale Jennings has gone off
:20:59. > :21:06.took buy Munich. If we look after the 40 odd games we have, we can
:21:06. > :21:10.see where they finish. Rochdale, a fantastic season last season. A lot
:21:10. > :21:14.of the players were in potential and they have gone now, though. It
:21:14. > :21:21.is going to be difficult for them but I think with the new manager
:21:21. > :21:25.and his assistant, I think they will guide them through and have a
:21:25. > :21:29.pretty successful season. But don't expect the same.
:21:29. > :21:34.Pretty disappointing to be relegated. And the problems that
:21:34. > :21:38.come with that. I think Phil Brown's men are still going to be
:21:38. > :21:44.there or thereabouts. I think they will be the big riders in Division
:21:44. > :21:50.One this season and they might be my tipped for promotion.
:21:50. > :21:55.I have got to say good things about a Oldham! Great that they are
:21:55. > :21:59.staying at the park. The fans will be really pleased about that. If
:21:59. > :22:05.the manager can keep his squad fit and focused, and maybe not get as
:22:05. > :22:14.many injuries as last season, they just might be the surprise package
:22:14. > :22:17.in Division One for me. We will see. Football legend Eric Cantona says
:22:17. > :22:21.he's glad to be back in Manchester, despite some of today's stars
:22:21. > :22:24.saying they're unhappy in the city. Cantona, who's in the North West
:22:24. > :22:27.with Pele and the New York Cosmos ahead of Paul Scholes' testimonial
:22:27. > :22:37.tomorrow night, was asked about City players Carlos Tevez and Mario
:22:37. > :22:38.
:22:38. > :22:43.Balotelli criticising Manchester. Where they come from! If they come
:22:43. > :22:49.from Milan, maybe. I have a great time in the City but the most
:22:49. > :22:53.important thing to me was to play with the best player in the world.
:22:53. > :23:03.That was Manchester. I love the city and the people here and I have
:23:03. > :23:04.
:23:04. > :23:10.had a great time. He knows what is say! Fantastic.
:23:10. > :23:19.Lancashire's cricketers have come up short of victory. So close! That
:23:19. > :23:25.was in their county championship match against Liverpool. They were
:23:25. > :23:31.deprived of vital time and they needed to bowl Warwickshire out.
:23:31. > :23:41.The game was drawn in the end. And it was the weather's fault, but we
:23:41. > :23:45.cannot blame Diana for that! Here Don't you think things have
:23:45. > :23:49.improved since I arrived? It has been very mixed through the day. If
:23:49. > :23:54.you want to know what is happening through the weekend, not too much
:23:54. > :23:59.better, I'm afraid. Unsettled conditions and much cooler than we
:23:59. > :24:03.have had. There will be some showers and even some rain from
:24:03. > :24:10.time to time. We had a bad start to the day and that has lasted until
:24:10. > :24:19.about 2pm. The Isle of Man had a very nice day, however, and imparts
:24:19. > :24:23.of Merseyside and Cumbria, as well. -- and in parts. The skyline in
:24:23. > :24:28.Manchester does not look wonderful, but there is room for improvement
:24:28. > :24:34.and eventually it will become dry and warm. In between, we have a
:24:34. > :24:41.fairly settled night. The cloud cover will be increasing. It has
:24:41. > :24:49.been warm and humid overnight recently, and no changed tonight,
:24:49. > :24:53.but coming into dawn, things will go down. The cloud fins and Briggs
:24:53. > :25:00.very nicely in the morning and lovely spells of sunshine for the
:25:00. > :25:06.Blackpool is celebrating news that it's to hit the ballroom dancing
:25:06. > :25:09.big time. The final of this year's Strictly Come Dancing programme
:25:09. > :25:11.will be held in the resort's famous towel ballroom. The show attracts
:25:11. > :25:21.millions of viewers and will showcase the unique qualities
:25:21. > :25:23.
:25:23. > :25:27.Blackpool has to offer, as Peter On Blackpool Tower Ballroom's well-
:25:27. > :25:33.sprung dance floor, they are well chuffed. What do you think about
:25:33. > :25:37.the final being held here? That is fabulous news. We wanted to be here
:25:37. > :25:47.because it is the best-placed to have something like that. This ploy
:25:47. > :25:54.is to be appreciated like a world- class dance floor. -- this a floor.
:25:54. > :26:03.This is a lovely ball room. What do you think? Wonderful. Good for
:26:03. > :26:12.dancing. Let's keep-ball run going forever. In such a beautiful venue.
:26:12. > :26:19.Thank you very much. Welcome to the ballroom echo of the North, of
:26:19. > :26:28.Blackpool. It last stage the final in 2004, so why has it won the
:26:28. > :26:30.honour again? It's so original. There's nothing like this in the UK.
:26:31. > :26:36.You would be hard-pressed to find something like this around the
:26:36. > :26:40.world, to be honest. It gets under your skin. Last year's final was
:26:40. > :26:44.watched by more than 40 million people. It is a chance for
:26:44. > :26:49.Blackpool to show itself off to a massive audience. It is worth
:26:49. > :26:53.publicity that could bring millions. It will bring visitors to the
:26:53. > :27:01.resort and the Tower, so the knock- on effect is good for the resort as
:27:01. > :27:07.a whole. It is nice to see you, to see you... Nice! Brucie and his
:27:07. > :27:15.friends will return to Blackpool in December and the final will be
:27:15. > :27:22.broadcast on the first time in 3D. What a scary thought! You will have