04/01/2017 North West Tonight

Welcome to North West Tonight with Roger Johnson and Annabel Tiffin.

Our top story: Four men are charged over the deaths of two young cousins

in a suspected hit and run crash in Oldham. The girls,

who were 11 and 12, were hit by a car as they crossed

Also tonight: The anti-fracking leaflet slammed by regulators,

who said its claims were not backed by facts.

They were exaggerating and in fact scaremongering among people in

Lancashire. "a true British hero" -

commemorations at Coniston for Donald Campbell,

who died 50 years ago today. And the story of the forgotten

footballer - The Liverpool man who became England's

first non-white player. Four men have appeared in court over

the deaths of two young girls from Oldham who were hit by a car

as they crossed the road. 11-year-old Helena Kotlarova

and her cousin Janeta Krokova, who was 12, were struck

on Ashton Road on New Years Eve. Yunus Mulla is at the scene

for us this evening. Greater Manchester Police had

arrested a number of men following this incident on new year's Eve,

which claimed the lives of Helene and her 11-year-old cousin Janeta.

Well, today, they have said they have charged a 38-year-old man. He

has been charged with two counts of death by dangerous driving.

Conspiracy to perverting the course of justice, failing to stop the

scene of a collision and failing to report the incident. He has appeared

in court on those charges. Just reminders of the background to all

of this. Well, on new year's Eve, Janeta and Helene had gone to the

shops with a larger group of friends when they came out of the shop they

were crossing the road holding hands when they were struck by a car. When

police arrived, they suspected a hit and run incident and a number of

appeals were made following that. In fact, Helene -- the parents of

Helene came to the scene and they tried to help their daughter, but

there was nothing they could do. And today, three other men were also

charged. Yes, that is right. Three other men, an 18-year-old, a

49-year-old, and a 50-year-old were charged with conspiracy to

perverting the course of justice. They also appeared in court today.

Information was relayed to them in Hungary and all four men were then

into custody. Thank you very much indeed.

Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth have promised not

to repeat misleading claims made in an advert against fracking,

according to the Advertising Standards authority.

It follows a complaint by the energy firm, Cuadrilla.

Friends of the Earth say they'll not be reproducing the ad.

Here is our environment correspondent.

Strong messages, and a strong reaction.

This leaflet was produced by Friends of the Earth and distributed

It claimed fracking chemicals can cause cancer and other health

It also claimed they could pollute drinking water and that fracking

would cause property prices to plummet.

As did this local resident, a former geologist.

They said the claims could not be substantiated.

It was so blatantly obvious to us that they were exaggerating and in

fact scaremongering among people in Lancashire. And also wider in the

attempt to get fundraising for this. The Advertising Standards

authority investigated and asked Friends of the Earth

to wthdraw the ad. In a statement it said,

"We have told Friends to make claims about the likely

effects of fracking on the health of local populations,

drinking water, or property prices in the absence of

adequate evidence." Other anti fracking campaigners said

they wouldn't be deterred. I am absolutely confident that

Friends of the Earth will continue their campaign, just as we will.

Just as the grassroots groups will carry on their campaign.

Three years ago, it was Cuadrilla that was forced

by the ASA to withdraw a leaflet for over stating it used

Over the next few days, Cuadrilla are due to prepare this

site to test fracking here later in the year.

The ASA ruling might not change minds, but Cuadrilla says it hopes

the outcome would stop campaigners using misleading material.

Rose Dickinson is from Friends of the Earth.

She joins us live from London. Thank you very much indeed for your time

this evening. The ASA said there was no evidence for these claims, so did

you make them up? The ASA have not made a ruling against us. Actually,

the ASA have dropped the case against Friends of the Earth.

Friends of the Earth stand by everything that we have said about

fracking. In fact, the evidence is mounting against fracking all of the

time, showing that it does pose risks to people and the environment

and the climate. But do you have evidence to prove that? Because they

said there was no evidence to back up the claims you have made. In our

formal agreement with the ASA, they have dropped the case against us and

we stand by absolutely everything we said. You have agreed not to repeat

the claims, so surely you accept that they are right. What we have

said is that together all the leaflet, which was produce around a

year and a half ago, will not be produced any mark and that is what

we have agreed. Do you have evidence to prove that fracking causes

cancer? Absolutely. Everything that we say is backed up by evidence. We

sent over 100 references to back up everything we said. You sent it to

the ASA, so why on earth do they not believe you, then? They have not

come back to is the point that we're raised in that leaflet. The point

that they are making is that the leaflet will not be circulated but

actually I think this is a distraction from the main point and

a destruction by Cuadrilla who have complained against Friends of the

Earth when the fact remains that people in much do not want fracking

and that is the point that we should be talking about now. This leaflet

at a picture of Grasmere on it. There are no plans to frag their and

you could not frag there. That picture was no station of the

beautiful input countryside that Cuadrilla and other fracking

countries -- companies would like to use. There are plans to use Sherwood

Forest in other places around the north-west and the point remains

that fracking poses a risk to people and it should not go ahead anywhere.

Three years ago, as we said, Cuadrilla had to withdraw a leaflet

of their own. The fact is, there are some people watching this to support

fracking, there are some people who do not. But if neither side is

completely transparent in making claims that are backed up and are

100% true, how on earth can people make an informed decision for

themselves? As I said, everything that we have said in a leaflet has

been 100% backed up by many different studies. You can sit there

and say that as much as you like, but you have agreed not to repeat

the claims. That is what the ASA have told us. I think if we take a

step back from this and look at what is happening around the world in

places where there have been fracking. In New York state, they

banned fracking due to be significant risk to public health.

It has been banned or halted in France and the Netherlands and

Germany. That is not for no reason. It is because the risk that it poses

to people and the environment and that is what we are sailing. There

are lots of places where it has not been banned. We are very grateful to

you. Apologies as well for some technical issues we were having

there. Detectives have revealed more information about the rape of a

12-year-old girl in Manchester in November. The attack happened as the

girl was walking along Chapel Street near to the horseshoe pub.

The man, who was about 6ft tall and wearing dark clothing,

attacked the girl as she was walking along Chapel Street

He then dragged her into an alleyway.

Officers say there is nothing that definitively links this attack

with two others in the area that happened within weeks of each other.

We are doing an awful lot of reassurance work. I have patrols out

in the area. We are going to be visiting local schools, providing

reassurance messages. I am already in dialogue with the community

association and other community groups to start having that dialogue

and providing reassurance to people. Police on Merseyside say a fire

at a Bromborough charity shop is no Emergency services

were called to the shop It is now thought to have been

caused by an electrical fault. The rail union RMT is to ballot

its members on Arriva rail north for industrial action

in a dispute over pay. The ballot of 2,600

members will open next Arriva Rail North has

so far not commented. Less than four years ago,

the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust was put in "special measures"

following the Keogh Review into Now in a big turnaround,

the Care Quality Commission have rated the trust as "good" overall

in their latest inspection. They've praised staff

for their commitment to patients In 2013, hospitals in

East Lancashire were in and placed into special

measures - death rates high East Lancashire NHS Trust, were the

panel issued highlights of poor governance and inadequate staffing

levels and high mortality levels, patients and their families

complained of a lack of compassion. It's been a difficult few

years, but the latest Care Quality Commission report has

rated the trust as good overall. We have put more doctors and nurses

on wards and we happily looked at everything that we do and it is good

for staff when they come in every day and work as possible as they can

to ensure good care. the Blackburn and Burnley Hospitals

in September were follow ups to wider checks in 2015,

and found the trust had a clear vision with staff dedicated

to achieving the best I think it is just all that has been

introduced over the last two years. We have new leadership. I think that

has helped, communication from the top to the ground floor. And that

has been massive for morale, I think. Pat Dixon has been in

hospital over the New Year. She says she has been impressed with her

care. Wonderful. Really good. Can't complain. The trust is turning a

corner. there was still a reliance on costly

agency staff, with some wards falling below the 80% fill rates

for registered nurses. They found the emergency department

continued to find the four hour wait target challenging,

with over 1500 ambulance handovers taking

longer than 30 minutes. There was a time a good few years

ago where people were pretty unhappy about what was going on in their

local hospitals. I do not see that now. Most people are pleased with

the treatment that they get. If there are complaints, it is about

minor things such as car parking and so on, which loom large in some

people's might, but the actual medical care is now very good

indeed, I think. There are still improvements to be

made, but after turbulent times, this Trust is showing

signs of recovery. on Coniston Water today to remember

Donald Campbell. It's exactly 50 years since he lost

his life there attempting His daughter Gina was

among those who joined a pilgrimage to the site

of the tragedy early this morning. Our chief reporter Dave

Guest went with them, and he met a man who recalls

the events of that fateful day It was a very similar day to today.

The lake was perhaps a bit calmer than it is at the moment. You could

hear the jet engine. Sure enough, Bluebird came out and the rest is

history. Robin Cooper was a lad of 11, watching Donald Campbell's

ill-fated record attempt. What went through your mind as an 11-year-old

boy when he was that boat starting to turn? First of all, it was just

shocked. And then hoping that Donald Campbell would be taken from the

lake OK. Of course, he was not OK and it was to be several decades

before his body and the wreckage of his boat were recovered from the

murky depths. Today, at Don, people gathered to pay their respects and

to remember the events of 50 years ago. Aboard a boat bearing his name,

admirers of Donald Campbell set out for the spot where he lost his life

attempting to break his own water speed record. We are all speed

enthusiasts, but we also enthusiasts of Donald Campbell and what he stood

for and what he achieved in speed record-breaking. For his daughter

and Jena, this was the most poignant of journeys. He was an incredibly

brave and courageous man and I was full of pride and humility and to

represent my family here today. So the Campbell is now on its way out

to the exact site of the crash and at 851, the time when Donald

Campbell suffered that fatal accident, the vessel will come to a

halt and flowers will be laid on the water in his memory. It is an

amazing day in the life of the Campbell dynasty and for me to be

involved in that, to be here, it is an amazing privilege as well. Why do

they get is important to remember this anniversary? It is because he

is a hero. We do not have British heroes any more and Donald Campbell

was one of those heroes. He is a hero, isn't he? Absolute hero. And

so at 851 precisely, Geena Campbell cast to flowers on the water in her

own act of remembrance. My dad is still alive in my mind and in my

memory. How would you describe those emotions? It may be half a century

ago, but the legend of Donald Campbell lives on here. Remarkable

story. What an anniversary. We have legendary football. Dixie Dean,

Stanley Matthews, Tommy Lawton. They are some of the best-known names

from the football of the 1940s. Soo, who grew up in

Liverpool and died in 1991, was the first non white man

to play for England. But his family believes

he's been forgotten It's 1944 and a wartime crowd hungry

for football packs Hampden Park to watch Scotland take on the Auld

Enemy. England's tricky Number 6

is Frank Soo, his memory still honoured by relatives

in Liverpool, but not, it seems, It is a little bit frustrating when

you are the grand niece of the man who played for England and he was

the first Asian player to play for the national side and yet he does

not have the recognition. Born in Buxton, brought

up in Liverpool, Soo's mother was English,

his father a Chinese sailor. Here he is during the War

with the Manchester City goalkeeper, Frank Swift, and with future City

and United managers, The great Stanley

Matthews is there too. And here he is on the right

lining up for England. But because he was mixed race

there was resistance to him There was a cartoon portraying him

as a Chinese coolie. It is not a very nice image to portray somebody

at all and it said do we want this kind of person playing football for

our national side? Now a football historian is trying

to restore Frank Soo The more I learned about him and his

life and his achievements throughout his career, I feel he is an

important figure in his own right, irrespective of his ethnic

background. Frank Soo ended his career

in football management, Respected as a player

by his contemporaries, he now stands out as one

of the first, but by no means the last, to face

discrimination in football. Fascinating story. He was in the

south of the region, South Cheshire. He may have played for the mighty

Potters with great distinction. Manchester City midfielder

Fernandinho will serve a four match suspension after the appeal

against his latest red The Brazilian was sent

off for this challenge on Johann Berg Gudmundsson

in Monday's home match against Burnley, his third

dismissal in six games. He'll miss the FA Cup third

round clash with West Ham on Friday along with Premier League games

against Everton, Spurs And sticking with disciplinary

matters, the controversial red card awarded to West Ham's Sofiane

Feghouli in Monday's match against Manchester United

HAS been rescinded. Manchester boxer Anthony

Crolla has been given Preston host Arsenal on Saturday.

And they think they can cause an upset. It is a fixture full of

history and a match that for North end fans, certainly whet the

appetite. We will win. I do not think Preston will win. That is not

the attitude. 3-1. You are confident, and you? For football

historians, this is the battle of the invincible. The team in the

1880s were the originals, followed more than 100 years later by an

Arsenal title winning team that also went to full league season unbeaten.

We were the original invincible. Arsenal have taken that of us are

little better but we have fantastic history and tradition and tradition

and this is the next stage of we can beat Arsenal on Saturday night. When

Sir Tom Finney was in his pomp in the 1950s and 60s, Preston North End

they will have been favourites to beat Arsenal, but for this team, it

is about testing themselves against some of the best players in the

world. Looking forward to challenging yourself and to see

where you are as a young player myself, my development, to see if I

can handle it against the big boys. But just how many of the Gunners

superstars will play? This was a last-gasp 3-3 draw at Bournemouth

last night. This festive programme is likely to see Arsenal putt-mac

manager rest several of his top players. It is complicated. But we

have to shut up and cope with it. They will think if it is a

competition that they can go and when that some players will be

rested. So mad that magma matter who they put out, they will be

international players and we will be up against it. Preston pushed

Manchester United hard a couple of seasons ago. Eventually losing 3-1

to the Reds. Like United, Arsenal will know that on their own ground,

North end will be confident they can upset the odds. Big game. Moving on

to boxing. Manchester has been confirmed as the venue for another

world title fight in the spring. Manchester boxer Anthony

Crolla has been given a chance to regain his WBA

world lightweight title. A rematch against current champion

Hor-hay Linares has been confirmed Chester Zoo is showing off it's top

ten babies of the last year. The zoo say they're the result

of a successful project It's proud of its efforts

to breed rhinos, But it's also boasting

about its successes with other, This from our Cheshire

reporter, Mark Edwardson. Gabe the eastern black

Rhino, having his lunch. In the way any 11 month

old toddler would. He is really important because he

forms part of the European reading programme for critically engaged

species. There are only 700 left

on the plains of Africa. In many ways, it is sad that animals

are disappearing so quickly in the wild but it makes zoos more relevant

in many ways. Species like this are protected in zoos and populations

are growing that ensues, unlike elsewhere.

Gabe's already half his mother's three

We have been members of the Chester zoo for a while and this is why we

are members, just to see the work they do here, because there will not

be any left for us to see in the wild. I think it is a great zoo and

it has a big hole to play. Also on Chester Zoo's top ten list

are Asian elephants, Chester zoo says conservation here

is not just about the headline grabbers like Easter and black rhino

or giraffe. It is about all of the animal. But it is also for things

like reptiles and creepy crawlies that we find inside.

Deep beneath the tropical house, a world first.

despite the looks they're not lizards, they predate the dinosaurs

and home is a small number of New Zealand Islands.

These are the first born in captivity anywhere in the world.

I have been here 40 years now and I thought I have got to do this in my

lifetime at the zoo. It was the one thing I really needed to be able to

save. We have managed to achieve. And then there's the Monserrat

Tarantula breeding programme. If you don't care about them, who

else will? Some people might be frightened and scared but they are

beautiful and fascinating. The world needs them. They are important.

Otherwise, you would be overrun with other types of bugs. Come on.

to reintroduce endangered species back into the wild have

I do not like spiders. I can't look when they are on. Stop it. It is not

funny. You know I do not like spiders. It is going to be really

cold. You will need your thermals. Yes, you will. By the way, I love

spiders. Don't like snakes. Once again, Diane has left me with some

not so good news. Every time she takes a day off, I have to tell you

the story. Once again, it is not looking particularly warm. That cold

air pushes them for tomorrow and once we headed into the weekend, we

will see the milder air pushing back in. Temperatures at around 6-7 C

tomorrow. Look at today. Look at the temperatures we will get for

tomorrow. Three Celsius during the daytime. Thankfully, it is just for

one day only because as we headed to Friday, we will head back into

normal service. Tonight, however, it will be mostly dry. Lots of clear

skies. Frost forming already. It will be a hard frost. Lots of

gardeners and rovers beware because the temperatures by dawn will drop

as low as minus two Celsius or minus three Celsius in towns and cities.

So tomorrow will be a bright day but bitterly cold. You are going to need

to scrape those windscreens in the morning because the hard frost is

around first thing. Bitterly cold but a dry day. Brighter through the

afternoon. Maybe turning Haiti by late afternoon and that frost

returning. The temperature is tomorrow will be struggle to

recover. Look at this. We're looking at the top temperature of 2- for

tomorrow. Tomorrow night it begins to change. We start off quite cold

and then we see a warm front pushing in. It pushes in clouds initially

and then it will push in this band of rain by dawn. Tomorrow night,

temperatures will be well above freezing. So as we head into Friday,

we will see the wind is picking up and a band of rain pushing in and

that band of rain could be heavy from time to time and as I have

said, the temperatures thankfully recovering back to what they should

be for this time of year and actually as we head into the

weekend, high pressure is in charge of our weather and the temperatures

are back to where they should be. Very cold before that to get

through. A couple of children wanted to make snowballs and scraped the

frost of the paintwork of a car. Not a good idea. Have a lovely evening.

Thank you very much for driving us. Don't do that home. Goodbye by.