:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and Roger Johnson.
:00:00. > :00:12.Virgin gets a new deal to rtn trains on the West Coast Mahnline.
:00:13. > :00:15.But is it in the best interdsts of passengers or a political ddcision?
:00:16. > :00:23.Jaguar Land Rover invests ?200 million and creates 250 new jobs
:00:24. > :00:28.It?s breathtaking, the changes that have taken place.
:00:29. > :00:33.Halewood can only go from strength to strength.
:00:34. > :00:39.A Bolton couple struggle to get their babies home from an Indian
:00:40. > :01:03.And I'm at Martin Mere in Lancashire.
:01:04. > :01:05.Virgin Trains has been given a new contract to run the
:01:06. > :01:10.A previous attempt to award a franchise to a rival companx, First
:01:11. > :01:13.Group, ended in a fiasco whhch cost the taxpayer at least ?50 mhllion.
:01:14. > :01:14.Virgin is now promising improved services
:01:15. > :01:17.from the North West to London and a new direct link from Blackpool.
:01:18. > :01:22.Roger has the background to today's ddcision.
:01:23. > :01:26.Virgin began running the privatised rail routes between
:01:27. > :01:36.In 2012, when the franchise expired, First Group offered more money to
:01:37. > :01:41.The Government gave them a 15`year`deal.
:01:42. > :01:45.But Virgin took legal action and an investigation found
:01:46. > :01:48.the Department of Transport had made "significant errors"
:01:49. > :01:53.Virgin were told they could keep running the line
:01:54. > :01:59.Today that extension has itself been extended,
:02:00. > :02:04.Let's get more on today's decision from our Transport
:02:05. > :02:10.The west coast mainline is one of the busiest rail routes
:02:11. > :02:14.in the country serving 30 mhllion passengers a year.
:02:15. > :02:16.Now that its franchise has been extended
:02:17. > :02:21.Virgin Trains has promised to spend ?35 million improving services.
:02:22. > :02:24.The company says it will convert first class coaches to standard
:02:25. > :02:31.class on 21 of its trains freeing up 2,100 seats every day.
:02:32. > :02:35.It also said it would introduce superfast Wi`fi on trains
:02:36. > :02:41.And there'll be new services including a direct train
:02:42. > :02:46.So does this show the company invested too much in
:02:47. > :03:07.The company claims Wi`fi has been the main thing passengers ask for.
:03:08. > :03:10.For commuters in Blackpool a direct link to London
:03:11. > :03:37.It will put the property up. I think it's excellent. People are happier
:03:38. > :03:47.to go straight through to London instead of stopping at Preston.
:03:48. > :03:49.Virgin Trains has not won this franchise,
:03:50. > :03:52.Labour is asking whether that will result
:03:53. > :04:12.The West Coast franchises ltcrative and in 2017 the beginning of the
:04:13. > :04:21.bidding process will take place So Virgin has had its contr`ct
:04:22. > :04:23.extended until 2017 without Earlier I asked the Transport
:04:24. > :04:26.minister Stephen Hammond, why it had been extended
:04:27. > :04:34.and not opened up to other bidders. Because it is beneficial to the
:04:35. > :04:43.passengers and the taxpayer. It is entirely keeping with the programme
:04:44. > :04:46.we set out. Absolutely no change. But if the department of tr`nsport
:04:47. > :04:54.houses in order, there seems to be no reason not to rerun the
:04:55. > :04:58.franchise. As we set out, wd need a programme of franchise renewal which
:04:59. > :05:07.will ensure we get best valte for the taxpayer. We set out, b`ck in
:05:08. > :05:17.2013, a programme to achievd that. There was always going to bd a
:05:18. > :05:24.direct award for this franchise There will be 400 35mm pounds in
:05:25. > :05:27.revenue for the taxpayer. Some people may say you are deferring the
:05:28. > :05:35.decision so it doesn't happdn before the election. I'm announcing good
:05:36. > :05:40.news today. I'm always happx to do that before an election. Thhs is
:05:41. > :05:48.good news for the people of the North. They will be over 5000 more
:05:49. > :05:51.seats and that is good news. But if the franchise was removed in
:05:52. > :05:57.November as planned, it wouldn't reflect very well on the government.
:05:58. > :06:05.We let the biggest franchisd less than a month ago. When that problem
:06:06. > :06:10.happened two years ago, we stopped and learnt the lessons. We have
:06:11. > :06:21.moved forward. So your housd is in order? Yes. Let's not miss out on
:06:22. > :06:27.what we have announced todax. ? 5 million in benefits for passengers.
:06:28. > :06:32.There will be more stations, and a better service. We are seeing Wi`Fi
:06:33. > :06:46.across stations and across the network. Thank you. A freight train
:06:47. > :06:49.has derailed near Crewe and there are hold`ups of around 30 mhnutes to
:06:50. > :06:52.all trains going through thd station. It happened about `n hour
:06:53. > :07:06.ago. We have no more details. A former police officer jailed
:07:07. > :07:08.for knocking down two pedestrians, killing one
:07:09. > :07:10.and permanently disabling the other, is back in prison tonight
:07:11. > :07:12.for breaking a driving ban. Mohammed Mian
:07:13. > :07:14.from Urmston was originally jailed for four years after the de`th
:07:15. > :07:16.of Steve Campbell and After his release from prison,
:07:17. > :07:20.Mian breach a driving ban on 30 separate occasions and was
:07:21. > :07:23.today jailed for our months. Five children and a teacher have
:07:24. > :07:26.been released from hospital after suffering electric shocks
:07:27. > :07:28.at a school in Burnley yestdrday. Several other pupils were treated
:07:29. > :07:31.at the scene following the hncident The Health and Safety Executive
:07:32. > :07:36.and Electricity Northwest, Police in Cheshire are appe`ling
:07:37. > :07:41.for information after a swan was shot twice through
:07:42. > :07:45.the head with crossbow bolts. It happened on a canal betwden
:07:46. > :07:48.Fiddlers Ferry and Widnes ydsterday. The swan survived and is recovering
:07:49. > :07:54.after being rescued by the RSPCA. There was some good news for
:07:55. > :07:57.the region's car industry today Jaguar Land Rover announced it is
:07:58. > :08:01.planning to invest ?220 million at its plant at Halewood
:08:02. > :08:05.on Merseyside to produce Land The firm says it'll mean 250 new
:08:06. > :08:11.jobs with more being created Our Merseyside Reporter, Andy Gill,
:08:12. > :08:29.is at Halewood for us tonight. This is another dig vote of
:08:30. > :08:34.confidence for the India owners It brings the total investment here
:08:35. > :08:43.since 2010 to close half ?1 billion. They already make the very
:08:44. > :08:48.successful range Rover Vogud model. Only last month, the companx says
:08:49. > :08:54.sales of that model were up 12% and a lot of those go abroad. They are
:08:55. > :08:56.hoping the new discovery sport model will be just as successful.
:08:57. > :08:59.The extra 250 jobs will mean Halewood's workforce
:09:00. > :09:05.That's three times as many people as there were three years ago.
:09:06. > :09:08.The boss says getting the new model is a tribute to
:09:09. > :09:26.And here is the new Sports Discovery.
:09:27. > :09:30.That investment and that vision is starting to pay off.
:09:31. > :09:31.And here is the new Sports Discovery.
:09:32. > :09:35.Or at least as much of it as Land Rover are prepared to show xou now.
:09:36. > :09:37.It's under wraps until its official launch.
:09:38. > :09:39.Halewood's success today is a far cry from
:09:40. > :09:47.the days 30 or 40 years ago when it was a byword for industrial unrest.
:09:48. > :10:01.It's nothing short of risk`taking. Everyone is looking to the future
:10:02. > :10:01.Hayward can only go from strength to strength.
:10:02. > :10:03.One finance expert says the new investment comes partly bec`use
:10:04. > :10:11.And partly because of the n`ture of the economic recovery.
:10:12. > :10:19.The majority of the growth of the economy has been concentratdd in the
:10:20. > :10:26.top 15 to 20%. These are thd people who are more likely to be driving
:10:27. > :10:28.luxury cars. Having the right car, Land Rover have been at the right
:10:29. > :10:31.place at the right time. The new Sport Discovery moddl
:10:32. > :10:34.will go on sale next year. Production trials are
:10:35. > :10:47.already underway. So 250 new jobs here. For everyone
:10:48. > :10:53.they another four are creatdd in the supply chain. That means an extra
:10:54. > :10:57.thousand jobs. What does thdm a model look like? There are `rtists
:10:58. > :11:03.impressions around but they are being kept under wraps. We want to
:11:04. > :11:18.know for sure what it looks like until the launch sometime in 20 5.
:11:19. > :11:20.Nick Clegg has admitted his party's coalition with the Conservatives is
:11:21. > :11:23.to blame for the Liberal Delocrat's meltdown in the North West.
:11:24. > :11:26.During a visit to the Manufacturing Summit on the Wirral
:11:27. > :11:28.earlier today, the Deputy Prime Minister said he understood why
:11:29. > :11:32.But he urged people to recognise the good things he believes they've
:11:33. > :11:36.In last month's elections, the Lib Dems were wiped out in Manchester
:11:37. > :11:39.An investigation's underway in Cumbria after a bus caught fire
:11:40. > :11:42.minutes after schoolchildren were taken off the vehicle.
:11:43. > :11:45.Pupils from Sir John Barrow School in Ulverston had been
:11:46. > :11:48.on a school trip when the bus broke down yesterday.
:11:49. > :11:51.Fire crews say the bus was "well alight" when they arrhved
:11:52. > :11:57.Thieves have tunnelled into a newsagents in Fleetwood
:11:58. > :12:01.and crawled up through a hole to steal money from the till.
:12:02. > :12:05.They removed bricks from thd wall of an empty shop next door.
:12:06. > :12:11.The break`in was discovered by the shop`owner on Tuesday morning.
:12:12. > :12:13.A couple from Bolton stranddd in India with their newborn baby twins
:12:14. > :12:17.are still no nearer to knowhng when they'll be able to bring thdm home.
:12:18. > :12:20.Kiran and Beena Salvi's children were born
:12:21. > :12:24.The children have British Citizenship.
:12:25. > :12:26.But as our Chief Reporter D`ve Guest explains,
:12:27. > :12:34.getting them a British passport is proving to be a nightmare.
:12:35. > :12:41.He's as proud as any new dad could be.
:12:42. > :12:43.But for Kiran Salvi the joy of parenthood is marred
:12:44. > :12:46.by the fact he, his wife and their baby twins are stranded
:12:47. > :12:52.Kiran and his wife Bina had been trying for a family for 12 xears.
:12:53. > :12:59.They live in Westhoughton but it was a surrogate clinhc in
:13:00. > :13:05.India which eventually provhded the family they so desperately craved.
:13:06. > :13:08.The couple are Leela and Jax's biological parents.
:13:09. > :13:10.But the twins were born to a surrogate mother.
:13:11. > :13:14.Kiran and Bina went out to Hndia for the birth in March.
:13:15. > :13:19.Because they're British their children were granted
:13:20. > :13:21.But getting British passports to bring them homd
:13:22. > :13:25.They've all been stuck in a hotel room in India for weeks.
:13:26. > :13:38.There is no disputing the fact that your children are
:13:39. > :13:51.She is be prepared our doculentation for the passports. They arrhved in
:13:52. > :13:53.Liverpool a week later. What is it like for you out there
:13:54. > :13:55.at the moment? We have a house back in the UK
:13:56. > :14:13.and here we're stuck in one room. They tell me they are prisoners in
:14:14. > :14:17.their hotel room. Their plight has been raised in Parliament btt so far
:14:18. > :14:22.no one has been able to say when Babel Babel to come home.
:14:23. > :14:28.The Congleton schoolboy who's carrying the hopes
:14:29. > :14:39.And never mind the psychic octopus or the guessing goat.
:14:40. > :14:49.We meet the clairvoyant cat who s on a winning World Cup stre`k.
:14:50. > :14:53.Now for the second part of our wildlife series, 'On the Wild Side'.
:14:54. > :14:55.Throughout the rest of the year we'll be visiting
:14:56. > :14:59.Martin Mere in Lancashire, showing you the work which goes on there.
:15:00. > :15:02.Tonight Nazia Mogra heads off to the Wetland there,
:15:03. > :15:16.and finds out how the residdnt cows are helping the wildlife.
:15:17. > :15:21.Wetland at Martin Mere is home to 80,000 birds every year.
:15:22. > :15:27.Avocets have bred with us since 2001.
:15:28. > :15:31.And to the right of those avocet chicks it looks like we've got three
:15:32. > :15:34.female ruffs and a male ruff in full breeding plumage, which is really
:15:35. > :15:40.So what are we going to see on this trip then?
:15:41. > :15:42.As we start going round, we will see mallards,
:15:43. > :16:11.dragonflies and damselflies skating across the top of the water.
:16:12. > :16:18.But to do on a day`to`day b`sis Counting the species and sed how
:16:19. > :16:27.well they breed. We're doing a lot of work linking birds. We c`n start
:16:28. > :16:33.to monitor the birds as thex start flying about.
:16:34. > :16:36.I remember one person telling me it's like a big bird table, so we
:16:37. > :16:40.made sure the habitat is right and all the food is out there for them.
:16:41. > :16:44.This is one of 50 English longhorn cows who live at Martin Merd.
:16:45. > :16:49.Their job is to make this a perfect home for the wildlife
:16:50. > :16:51.They are pretty much natural lawn mowers for us.
:16:52. > :16:54.They manage the wetlands in a perfect way for different birds,
:16:55. > :16:59.The calves are just a by`product of them.
:17:00. > :17:03.We've got a bull on site and we breed the cattle
:17:04. > :17:05.so we have nice little calvds running around in the herd.
:17:06. > :17:08.Birds fly in from all over Durope and even as far
:17:09. > :17:32.With such beauty, I think they have picked a perfect destination.
:17:33. > :17:36.England kick off against Urtguay in the World Cup
:17:37. > :17:41.And one player in particular is in the thoughts of the studdnts
:17:42. > :17:46.Daniel Sturridge, England's goalscorer against Italy,
:17:47. > :17:49.studied for his GCSEs at the Cheshire school.
:17:50. > :17:51.And, as Stuart Flinders reports staff and students there ard
:17:52. > :18:03.In Brazil, they are getting to know Daniel Sturridge.
:18:04. > :18:06.In Cheshire, they can help fill in the g`ps.
:18:07. > :18:11.From the Copacabana to Congleton, this is where Daniel Sturridge did
:18:12. > :18:14.his GCSEs and he left a lasting impression.
:18:15. > :18:17.Before Liverpool, before Bolton and Chelsea, this is
:18:18. > :18:20.where Daniel Sturridge playdd his football, and they're still
:18:21. > :18:25.He took the ball from the defending end, went through
:18:26. > :18:29.several players, scored a goal and everyone on the sidelines s`id, hmm,
:18:30. > :18:35.When we look at those school photographs it looks
:18:36. > :18:37.as if he's older than the other students because he's
:18:38. > :18:44.Obviously, in football teams that was very useful and, athlethcs`wise,
:18:45. > :18:47.he ran 100 metres on sports day and it was almost like he'd finished
:18:48. > :18:50.the race before the rest of the students had started.
:18:51. > :18:57.For those who hope to follow in his footsteps, he is an inspiration
:18:58. > :19:02.It shows you don't have to be in a big city to get far.
:19:03. > :19:05.It wasn't just the football that made an impression.
:19:06. > :19:09.He was one of the smartest boys I ever taught.
:19:10. > :19:14.He wore the uniform immacul`tely and that's the first thing that
:19:15. > :19:21.I think he was a well`organhsed and committed person.
:19:22. > :19:24.He was particularly interested in studying Spanish,
:19:25. > :19:27.which he said maybe one day might be quite useful if he ended up playing
:19:28. > :19:54.If he keeps on scoring this could catch on.
:19:55. > :20:09.Richard is watching the match in a bar a Liverpool. We can join him
:20:10. > :20:21.now. This is shooters in Liverpool city
:20:22. > :20:32.centre. The non`moniker of tension, excitement and alcohol will stop I
:20:33. > :20:48.let's have a chat with some fans here. How are you? I feel tdnse how
:20:49. > :20:54.do you feel? Nervous and excited. We could do with this win. The place is
:20:55. > :21:04.packed out. We are all roothng for the same team.
:21:05. > :21:10.From the previous performance we lost to Italy. There are pldnty of
:21:11. > :21:19.positives. How much confidence do you have? A lot of confidence. I
:21:20. > :21:25.hope we play well. I think we will get the win. Positive, hopeful,
:21:26. > :21:45.optimistic, nervous. The Everton players are still great.
:21:46. > :21:53.If Barkley comes arm after 70 minutes he could change the game.
:21:54. > :22:11.Israel is going to ruin it for us tonight? No. All the best to him.
:22:12. > :22:16.Give him a quiet little blud. At the end of the day, Liverpool h`ve been
:22:17. > :22:23.playing with him all season. They know his weaknesses. The roof will
:22:24. > :22:38.come off this place if Engl`nd score tonight.
:22:39. > :22:41.Now cast your mind back to the World Cup four years ago and Paul
:22:42. > :22:44.He made headlines across thd world by successfully predicting the
:22:45. > :22:49.This time around, Brazil has its own version, a turtle called Big Head.
:22:50. > :22:52.But neither of them have as good a record as Peen thd cat
:22:53. > :22:54.from Manchester who is leadhng a World Cup prediction compdtition.
:22:55. > :22:56.Peen meows in response to a country's name with
:22:57. > :23:01.the number of meows her prediction for that team's score.
:23:02. > :23:05.She's already predicted thrde games correctly, including
:23:06. > :23:23.So here's owner Stuart getthng her prediction for tonight's big match.
:23:24. > :23:50.She wasn't very impressed whth that one.
:23:51. > :23:59.Apparently you aren't not to ask around mealtimes.
:24:00. > :24:02.If you are not interested in the football and have stayed with us for
:24:03. > :24:16.the weather, thank you very much. We promised you it would be cooler
:24:17. > :24:19.today than yesterday. Yesterday we saw an average of 23 Celsius. This
:24:20. > :24:35.is the scene in Salford now will temperatures just in excess of 0
:24:36. > :24:39.Celsius. It was just 16 in Sao Paulo.
:24:40. > :24:52.Tonight, the temperatures at the game are not bad at all. Cool
:24:53. > :24:58.conditions for the match. Hdre in the Northwest we are going to see a
:24:59. > :25:05.lot cloud cover around. Thex could be an onshore breeze and it should
:25:06. > :25:12.be cooler than last night. Temperatures will drop to 14
:25:13. > :25:17.Celsius. Tomorrow will be breezy and bright. We start off with plenty of
:25:18. > :25:28.cloud. A westerly breeze will blow some of that cloud away. Once again,
:25:29. > :25:33.a warm dead and a high polldn count. Expect to sneeze a lot if you suffer
:25:34. > :25:41.from hay fever. Plenty of stnshine to end the day. 19 Celsius will be
:25:42. > :25:48.that high. We could see 20. We should see warm sunshine but it
:25:49. > :25:51.should be a nice week when will