08/12/2011 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Ranvir Singh and Tony

Livesey. Our top story: Heavy rain, strong winds and floods.

Buildings are damaged and roads closed as bad weather hits the

region. There was an 8 ft wide river running next to the house,

which we have never had before. We'll have the latest on what

damage the weather has caused. Also tonight:

Faking it in the Festive season - we're with trading standards as

they track down counterfeit goods in Manchester.

The private company helping deliver babies in the Wirral, but what are

the benefits for parents? Hitting the right note - the people

with dementia finding support through singing.

And a simple pet or something more sinister? A gruesome discovery in

the hills of Pendle. It is an intriguing story, the sort of story

that if Steven Spielberg got his teeth into he would have a

Heavy rain and strong winds have been battering the region. Homes

have been flooded, roads closed and ferries and flights cancelled. The

worst hit part of the north-west was the Lake District. Several

homes were flooded, drivers had to be rescued from stranded cars and a

number of major routes were shut. Eight flood warnings remain in

place across the region this evening. Stuart Pollitt reports

from one village which has born the High in the hills above Windermere

flash flooding has left its mark on the village of Troutbeck. This is

what it's done to Cathy's home. 6am we came into the kitchen and

there was about an inch of water on the floor. I was trying to sweep it

up and drive it off while my partner was outside, trying to dig

out the Culbert, because there was an 8 ft wide river running next to

the house, which we have never had before. The council came to give us

eight sandbags, but I am wary about going to sleep tonight.

Cathy's wasn't the only house damaged here. A mile up the road

from Troutbeck we found Natyi. He'd tried to drive through this puddle.

The car stopped and we tried to push it. We are soaking wet now. It

was here. It was on my thigh when I was standing in the water. Word has

it been like? Horrendous, everywhere, not good at all. We

have been up and down the back of the lake, trying to get to hear.

Water just running off the side, mud on the roads, everything.

Horrible. This road was one of those shot this morning due to the

heavy rain. It has now reopened and people are keen to stress that

while the weather is pretty spectacular, it is nothing like on

the scale that it was when there was widespread flooding two years

ago. Elsewhere in the region the ferry

to Heysham has been cancelled and planes from the Isle of Man have

been cancelled. But the problems we reported yesterday with food

shortages have eased. The wind ripped the roof off this rugby

clubhouse in Oldham. And this was the scene in Morecambe. The

Environment Agency warned of the dangers of promenades around high

tide this evening, due at 10pm. The Agency says eight flood warnings

and 13 alerts remain across the north-west. In this village,

they'll be hoping the worst of this storm has passed.

So what's ahead of us weather-wise We had wins over 65 mph today.

Still a yellow warning in force. Fire winds. As the winds ease, they

are replaced with another problem. Shower moving in, so ice on

untreated surfaces first thing tomorrow morning. Full details at

With Christmas just around the corner, we're all keen to bag a

bargain. But when a bargain seems too good to be true, it almost

certainly is. Police and Trading Standards officers are warning us

all to resist the temptation of buying fake goods this festive

season. They've been touring warehouses and lock-ups across

Manchester seeking out counterfeit merchandise. And they've had quite

a bit of success, as our chief reporter, Dave Guest, can tell you.

Where are you Dave? I'm afraid I can't tell you. The

location of this place is a secret because it's packed full of dodgy

goods and in the wrong hands they could be worth a fortune. This is

just a small sample of the �1.5 million of counterfeit gear that's

Police and Trading Standards officers investigate a clothing

warehouse down a back street in Manchester. Something about the

place has aroused their suspicions. We just want to see why the

shutters were half down and whether they were trying to hide something.

This is a very busy area and with the shutters half down, we may be

thinking they are trying to hide something from us.

They become even more suspicious when the man in charge says the

only way to the storeroom is up this conveyor belt. Police are

looking through the stock, to determine whether it is innocent,

or something they are going to show more interest in.

As it happens, there was no counterfeit stock here.

Elsewhere this week, however, investigators have found plenty.

The names are all familiar, but everything here is fake, part of a

haul worth �1.5 million and counting. We found a massive amount

of items. It has surprised us. people will say that when you buy

these goods, you know they are fake and they will not last long, so

what is the problem? The money that goes to the traders for these goods

is being used for other criminal purposes. It might be funding

future smuggling up drug smuggling operations. It can be linked to all

sorts of criminality. But is that message getting through

to consumers? Have you ever been tempted to buy something you are

suspicious of? No, because the quality is no good. You would buy

it if the price was right? Yes. Would you not be concerned about

where the money was going? Probably not.

Trading Standards say their operation is still far from over.

They will be hanging on to this to see if there are any prosecutions.

After that, the clothing will be passed on to needy people in this

country and abroad. More of the day's news from around

the region. Police have arrested a 51-year-old

man on suspicion of the murder of a mother and daughter in Southport.

The bodies of Angela Holgate and her 75-year-old mother Alice Huyton,

pictured here with her husband, Jim, were found at a house in Churchtown

on Saturday. A postmortem revealed they'd died of asphyxiation.

A teenager's being questioned by police about the death of a Sri

Lankan shop assistant in Huyton on Merseyside. Mahesh Wickramasingha

was stabbed in the neck last Wednesday at Stanley News on

Kingsway. A 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of his murder

last night. A Wirral woman has taken her

campaign to Westminster for better access at cinemas for disabled

people, after she became fed up with what she calls "second class

service". Catherine Alexander was one of 400 disabled film lovers who

were in London today along with the Muscular Dystrophy Society as they

handed over a petition. The main issue is the inconsistency between

cinemas, even within the same chain. One person in one place will have a

really good experience and someone else goes to the same chain in a

different place and they get a completely different standard of

service. A disabled grandmother say she's

prepared to go to prison after refusing to fill out her census

form on moral grounds. She is believed to be the first person in

the North West to come to court over this issue.

Sarah has never been in trouble with the law in her life, until now.

She found herself summoned to court today. If found guilty, she faces a

�1,000 fine, or in the worst case, prison. I have got nothing to fear.

If they charge me a fine, I have told them I will not pay any fine,

of course. I am quite prepared to go to prison. I know in my heart I

am not guilty. It is a legal obligation to fill in the census.

Sarah refused because of involvement of this company,

Lockheed Martin UK, part of Lockheed Martin US, America's

largest arms manufacturer. Others who came out to support her have

taken the same action. It is very courageous, very brave. You have to

have principles. It is symptomatic of this society that people with

principles and morals are being taken to court. The Office for

It says it follows EU directives, under which any company from any

sector or company can bid for the work. Sarah says the decision to

prosecute her is an over-reaction. There has nobody been harmed, for a

start. There is no crime being committed, it is just words on a

paper at the end of the day. pleaded not guilty and will now

appear at Crown Court for a trial An NHS trust in the region has

become the first in the country to sign a contract with a private

company to provide maternity care. It means women can choose to be

looked after by an individual, named midwife throughout their

pregnancy and after the birth of their child. The idea has been

trialled succesfully in Wirral. Now other health trusts around the

country may follow suit. Eleanor Mortiz reports. This baby was born

14 days ago. Her mum is one of a growing number who have opted to be

cared for by midwives employed by a private company on behalf of the

local NHS Trust. I felt relaxed, and I felt that help with the whole

pregnancy and the Labour and the birth. Her midwife care for her all

through her pregnancy. She has a case load of 35 women and she can

be contacted at any time of day. got a phone call the other day

asking if someone could get their ears pierced when they are pregnant.

Anything. Text, e-mail, phone calls in the night - this is going on, I

don't know what to do - anything, and we are there. It is important

for a mother to get to know the midwife, to feel she can trust her

and build up a relationship with her. On trial over the last 18

months, nearly 400 women have given birth in Wirral under this scheme.

Now the company has won a three- year contract. They get paid no

more than an acute trust would be paid by the NHS. In the two weeks

since the contract was signed, around 10 babies have been born

using these midwives. Most of them, like Isabelle here, home births.

is trying to put the patient at the centre of what we are doing, to

have both options. We are not saying the other option is a bad

option. We are saying there is room for different sorts of services for

different sorts of people. The idea has the support of the Government,

but not Labour's health spokesman, who was in the region today. I am

opposed to taking the score, crucial services in the NHS, such

as maternity and accident and emergency, and going headlong

towards a full competitive commercial market. The company has

now secured insurance so it can provide De Vries in hospital, as

well as antenatal and post-natal care, and it is in talks with other

Still to come on North West Tonight: from kick-boxing to torch

cunning, the 20 road from Oldham given an Olympic corner.

And a simple cottage or host to a witches coven? The strange

discovery in the Pendle countryside. One of the things you need most

when living with dementia is support. It is a slow and painful

illness, which robs people of their memories, their personalities and

their independence. Today, in the latest of our series

on dementia, we look at just some of the help out there both for

those with the illness and their carers. Our health correspondent

It is a simple singalong, run by And yet for everyone who comes here

once a fortnight, this could not matter more.

It is one of the highlights of my husband's life. He is a dead ball -

Many of those here today struggle with their memory. But these old

songs are deeply ingrained. And almost everyone knows not just the

tune, but the words as well. Sometimes, finding the right song

can access so many memories and things that people did not even

realise they had in them. Sometimes that will spark off other memories

in people. For Brenda and George, this is particularly important.

After years of caring for her at home, George finally decided that

Brenda needed more care and she now lives in a home. I get her out

sometimes that he or four days a week and I feel as if I have

abandoned or if I leave her in there. Harold too needed more

support. Living alone with dementia after his wife died, he struggled.

I often found him wandering around in his slippers, trying to buy

things from the garage. His medication was the biggest concern

as well. He had taken five over those in the last 12 months, by

accident. Now he lives here in the Shore Green community in

Wythenshawe. It is specifically for people with dementia. There is 24-

hour help and support from carers like Chris, but those who live here

have their own homes and some independence, while it also means

couples like Alf and Doris can stay together.

Tomorrow night, the Singing for the Brain Group will perform in BBC

Radio Merseyside's carol service, with all proceeds going to the

Alzheimer's Society. Well, those were just two schemes

really to offer support. We have had lots of emails praising the

work of the Alzheimer's Society. Also, one from a lady called June

Smith to say that she and a friend of hers, who both cared for someone

with dementia, have also set up a similar singing group in Salford.

Lyn Jones had lots of praise for the Open Doors project in Salford.

It employs someone with dementia to work with people newly diagnosed

and their families, offering them support and advice. Tomorrow night,

we will be looking in more detail at some of your stories that you

have kindly been sending in. That's the final part of our series on

dementia. Football, and Wayne Rooney will be

available for England's last group match in the Euro Championships now

that UEFA have reduced his ban to two matches. In October, he was

banned for three matches after being sent off in Montenegro for

kicking a defender. An appeal panel today suspended the third match of

the ban for four years. Rooney has also agreed to do a day's community

service with a football project. A chauffeur-driven limousine took

Rooney to that appeal in Switzerland last night, after

Manchester United's shock exit from the Champions League. Their 2-1

defeat in Basle has been described as "embarrassing" by defender

Patrice Evra. He says failing to qualify is a "catastrophe" for

United. Manchester City were also knocked

out, despite beating Bayern Munich last night. Richard Askam now

reports on the cost to both clubs. Similar fields of -- feelings of

disappointment, but different implications. City's first year in

the Champions' League but only the third time in seven years that man

United have gone out at this stage. It is disappointing. I have never

been out in the first-round. It is a catastrophe. With debts of around

�450 million and hefty interest payments to service, the reds look

to miss out on millions of Champions League money. It think it

will affect the club financially. very disappointing. Most fans

expected decide to get the point they needed it. A late goal was

little consolation for the manager. That is a penalty for not

qualifying. For Manchester City, step one was beating Bayern Munich.

Step two, Napoli it slipping up that not happen. It is

disappointing, because we have the capability. Even though mantissa

City do not have debt, their exit comes at a cost. It will not help

him fit in with your way for's fair-play rules. In simple terms,

clubs will not be able to spend much more than the urn. Would

wrecker losses, up to �20 million of revenue would have helped

restore the balance. Many of that fans in the city would have felt

that the Premier was to Italy did - - win the Premier League title and

after tonight that focuses even cleaver. Premier League. I am not

too bothered about tonight. disappointed, but it to the steep

curve. Do -- it is a steep curve. I know it is difficult in this cold

weather, but we're going to think ahead now to next spring when

hundreds of people across the North West will have the honour of

carrying the Olympic torch as it travels around the country. All the

torch bearers have been chosen because of what they give back to

local communities and this morning they got the news that they had

been picked. I'm delighted to say one of them joins us now, Andrew

Lofthouse from Oldham, and the man who nominated him, Kevin Lloyd.

Congratulations. Thank you very much. He does it feel? It is an

outstanding opportunity to be involved. To get involved in any

way is fantastic. Kevin, what did you say to nominate Andrew? I think

it came through the street games project. There are a lot of things

involved in it. From a local community. A view, he is heavily

involved, the chairman of the Youth Council, he is also on the

community group network panel. One of the main things was the KD

nature of his looking after his mother who was quite ill and his

and the who suffers from epilepsy. There is quite a lot of stuff on

the agenda there. Where do you get all this from? You are really

involved in shaping your local community. I had been brought up

with it, so it is second nature. will you prepare for this? -- How

It Will you prepare for this? You have changed a class to be here

tonight. They will all be watching. It will just be like fighting.

the told you what you have to do? Know. Or he headed his? I have no

idea. -- or how heavy it is? You must be so proud of him.

only me, but the club and everyone that is involved. It is a very

family-oriented club. From within the the as well, once it starts

going out and being general knowledge, it will be different

again. We hope the weather will not be like this!

If you've been chosen to carry the torch we would like to hear your

story too so let us know by e-mail. The people of Pendle in Lancashire

are used to spooky happenings. It is, after all, Britain's best known

witching county, where around a dozen of them were said to have

gathered in the 17th century, many later executed. But even for locals,

Pendle's latest discovery is a bit scary.

Engineers were working on reinforcing a dam at the bottom of

Pendle Hill when they began to uncover a cottage. As they explored

further, things got stranger and stranger. Nina Warhurst proved she

is not afraid of Pendle's witches Don't you just hate it when you're

trying to reinforce a dam and you come across a possible 17th century

witches' meeting house? What did you think when it started to be

stripped back in use all it was that house two be contacted the

county archaeologist and that that surveys. Once we started seen the

walls, it was interesting. And when the archaeologists arrived things

went from interesting to plain creepy. A very unusual thing at the

end of a project was an be on block doorway into this room and we found

this cat. What had happened to it? They felt the need to be enacted

luck charm in the wall. It was not lucky for the cat, but it was hoped

were lucky for the occupants. This room has been deliberately sealed

off for some purpose. Why? We will never know. It is a bit of a

mystery. Though perhaps not for local

historian's who for decades have been searching for Malcin Tower,

where the witches met almost 400 years ago. When the building has

been unearthed, I was bowled over, because it is only one of the few

buildings that is still around today that it is related to the

witches. So this could be that our? It could be. It is amazingly, this

building almost wanted to be found. If you too live in the shadow of

Pendle Hill, it might be an idea to revisit that mound in the back yard.

You might also want to keep a close eye on your cat.

Good reading. -- good evening. Here is a shot of up trampling that was

anchored down but is now sitting on the patio. -- a trampoline. The Met

Office still have I Yellow wind warning, which means that parts of

Cumbria in particular could see wind continuing to blow at 60 mph.

Once that problem ends, the next one comes in it, in the shape of

clear skies and scattered showers across the region. That combination

will lead us into a icy patches in untreated services. -- surfaces. At

some point, you will have got sold. This is her latest picture showing

us the showers that will come in a letter on tonight. It looks like

there will be some snow was over the top of the Pennines. Everyone

else will see showers from time to time, but they will just be rain or

he'll at the very worst. -- hail. First thing tomorrow morning, the

Met Office have issued a warning for ace. The showers will just keep

on coming as you head into the morning. -- ice. The westerly wind

is no lenient -- nowhere near as strong as it was today. There will

be some snow falling from time to time, but for most of us just rain.

We could all see perhaps an hour of sunshine, which is better than

nothing. You will notice that the Blues are continuing to return to

the chart. The 10 temperatures of We were just talking about a cat in

the Tupperware box. It is hardly a thing of methodological history.