10/01/2017 North West Tonight

In the North West - is it the great train robbery.

Why can a journey to London cost three times more

And the two sides of this dog - police says he's dangerous -

but today he was saved from being put down

It is signalling interest from around the world. One man's model

train collection on track to raise thousands of pounds for charity. And

do you want to know the secret of a long marriage? This couple have been

together for more than 70 years. If he had a night out, she couldn't

have won, she looked after the children. What is your secret?

LAUGHTER. An MP has accused Virgin Trains

of milking the system - by charging passengers more

to travel a shorter A ticket to London from Preston can

cost three times more than it does from Lancaster -

which is 20 miles further north. The firm says that's because more

commuters use that line. But the Fylde MP Mark

Menzies says the system Here's our Transport

Correspondent Judy Hobson. Many passengers here

in Preston say they're angry Overcrowded trains and price

are a common problem For example, Last thursday

a ticket on the 07.58 from Preston to London Euston cost

?145 if they'd boarded at Lancaster - 20 miles further away -

it would have cost just ?46.60. It's

the same train so what's going on? It seems you're being charged

depending on what sort of passenger you are: In a statement the rail

company said: " Virgin Trains has for many years relaxed peak

restrictions on some of its longer distance routes where we have

more leisure travellers. That's not the case at Preston

where there are a lot of business travellers who need to travel

to and from London at peak times." One passenger told his MP he had

bought his tickets from Lancaster but boarded one stop LATER

at Preston - and was told to pay an extra ?100

or face being posecuted. The whole thing is just mad, and

they need to look at the pricing structure and stop ripping people

off because this is what this is about. It is not about managing

leisure travel or business travel, these are the same people getting on

the same train at the same time. There are times I can travel cheaper

from Glasgow to Euston than from Preston to Euston. You can be next

to someone who has paid ?20 lest for the same journey. It is very unfair.

It is totally wrong. I live in Macclesfield and the fares are

higher than just down the line in Stoke-on-Trent. The journey should

be by the distance -- judged by the distance travelled.

Virgin Trains says passengers can get cheaper tickets from Preston

Earlier I spoke to the railway expert Tony Miles -

I asked him how common this type of charging is?

This is what they call yield management is, the fares are to do

with how many people want to travel at what times of day. When British

rail first discovered it could use computers to price individual

journeys, I remembered this happening, so it is been something

that has been done for some time. Given that travellers feel like they

are being ripped off, why is nothing being done to address it? Because

some people are getting good value out of it, it just depends when you

are travelling and from where. If you look even further ahead, the

situation reverses. It is dependent on booking and picking the right

moment to get the best value. People travelling further get very good

value for money. If you leave London tomorrow at almost five o'clock

heading for Lancaster, it will cost you almost ?100 less than in

Preston, but you're not allowed to get off in Preston because the train

company says that is fraud. That is correct if they are advance purchase

tickets, there are specific regulations on them. Again, those

have been around for more than 30 years. It is just the way the train

companies work, selling capacity and appreciating that some people with

longer journeys perhaps are more reluctant to choose the train

sometimes, Scotland may look at airlines as an option. That is just

the way selling tickets has gone, it is the same with the airlines. I'm

going to Ireland for ?10 next week, but a I booked the ticket a day

before I would be over 100. Some people have split a journey into

separate segments and by different tickets to build up the journey to

make it cheaper. Is that legal? Yes, it is legal, there are some rules

like the train has to stop at the station where the check tickets go

from one to another. There are various websites will help you find

that. You can tap into a journey that is not selling well, and this

is completely legal, and if you can find a way to do it, that is how to

get value for money. Thank you very much. A few of you talking about

this on the Facebook page. He was a highwayman. I get the

point. Peter Elliott has said cheers, my next ticket will be from

Lancaster! So he has cottoned on. A dog dubbed dangerous and sentenced

to death has been given a reprieve. Campaigners fighting

to save Butch, a ten-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier,

have won a judicial Butch had been trapped with his dead

owner inside their home By the time police found them

there were bite marks on the body. A court ordered his destruction -

but now a judge says Here's our Chief

Reporter, Dave Guest. different sides to the nature

of of the same dog. different sides to the

nature of the same dog. This one was filmed

by Merseyside Police. And this persuaded them that Butch,

the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was This one was made by the charity

Senior Staffy Club - the expert featured in it concluded

Butch posed no threat He is a friendly dog, we knew we

could find him a home, and that is what we were in the process of

doing. Last year a judge sitting

at Liverpool Magistrates' Court decided the police were right

and Butch should be put down. He'd been seized after being

recovered from a property His owner had died -

the precise cause of his death remains unknown -

and Butch remained trapped When he was found, there

were bite marks on his body. His owner, who'd been ill for some

time, had been in the process of signing him over to the charity

when he died. On the day we went affection to get

his vaccination so he could come here was the day we could not get a

reply from his owner, and then it was four days later unfortunately

that the sad facts were unknown. -- then and now.

Butch has remained in police

Today, at a court in Manchester, the charity asked a judge to allow

The judge said there were merits in both arguments. Merseyside Police

said the Chief Constable has noted the court's decision.

A bagpipe-playing busker has been jailed for four months -

after duping people in Liverpool into thinking he was collecting

The court heard Angus Carpenter played with a Hillsborough Justice

Campaign banner on his bagpipes the day before the 26th

The 62-year-old claimed it had been a tribute,

but the judge said he'd committed a mean-spirited crime.

A man's been arrested after a drone was seen

dropping a banned item into Walton Prison in Liverpool.

Police say it was spotted above the jail on Friday.

It's alleged the drone had an object attached -

A 44-year-old man has been released on bail.

Police investigating the death of 15-year-old Megan Lee -

who had an allergic reaction after eating a takeway meal -

have released two men they were questioning

Megan - from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire - died on New Year's Day.

The two men, who were arrested on suspicion of involuntary

manslaughter by gross negligence, were bailed.

A father and son forced a couple to work for ?4 a day and made them

live in dirty and squalid conditions in outbuildings -

Mohammed Riaz and Khuram Riaz from Nelson are charged

with an offence under the modern slavery act.

Burnley Crown Court was told the complainants were threatened

with abuse and violence if they didn't work long hours.

Our reporter Yunus Mulla was in court.

Concerns were raised in April 2015 when police arrived in a house in

Nelson, finding a couple sweeping the floor, chopping wood. They were

living in an outbuilding described as a shack in court, it was filthy,

damp and mouldy. There was a makeshift bathroom in a nearby shed,

whether toilet bowl in it, which was also foul smelling. As a result,

Mohammed Riaz, 63, and from Nelson, faces two counts of requiring the

couple to perform compulsory labour. His son, 27, faces the same two

counts. The dates vary but it is over a period between December 2014

and April 2015. The prosecution opened its case today. What did they

say? The prosecution say that the couple who are unemployed had

nowhere to live, and their personal circumstances effectively put them

into the clutches of the defendants. They had to carry out paid work,

which earned them around ?4 a day, at the property and the family

business. They were paid very little, they were given little food,

and in return were given this promise inhumane conditions. Today,

the prosecution said, you may wonder why they didn't escape from the

clutches of the two defendants. Bearing in mind the psychological

trap, the invisible handcuffs, if you like. Have the defendants

offered an explanation? The defendants say they did not know

each other. The defendants say these were acts of goodwill they were

giving the couple, somewhere to live, some food at times, but they

denied forcing them to do everything, they deny the charges.

Thank you very much indeed. The northbound carriageway -

between junctions 20 and 21 near Lymm -

had to be closed during this Work to repair the damaged

carriageway took place this afternoon - and it reopened fully

at around four o'clock. The Liverpool musician

Rebecca Ferguson has said She will not perform at the

inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump -

because she wasn't comfortable with the song choice

made on her behalf. She had previously said she'd only

accept the invitation if she could sing a protest song

about racism in America. A film about The Beatles has been

nominated for a BAFTA. Eight Days A Week -

The Touring Years uses previously unseen footage to chart the band's

rise from playing at the Cavern Club, to sell

out tours of America. It's received a BAFTA nomination

for Best Documentary. Anti-fracking campaigners

say they plan to delay for as long as possible deliveries

from construction lorries arriving at a site in Lancashire

which is being prepared for drilling Protestors say they're planning

daily protests in Little Plumpton. The energy company Cuadrilla says

it's working with the police - to keep the area safe and ensure

the main road isn't blocked. Day five at the construction site

at Preston New Road in Fylde... Just another day for protestors

who say they want to delay fracking We have a human right to object to

this but we do not want to disrupt traffic or the areas, and this is a

borough fear for ambulances between major hospitals. There is a work

whenever they are, and we have ascertained that we may slow walk

the trucks for the distance here, which is 15 minutes per truck, which

does not sound a lot, but to an investor that sounds like people are

not going away and they will not allow this to happen and challenged.

-- unchallenged. Yesterday, protestors

claimed they were put Cuadrilla say they were

in the works area. They have got to build a roadway in,

so there is a considerable time. Also a lot of protests are happening

in Bolton, so rather haven't got so many here, other groups will try to

stop them leaving their sites. Protestors say they'll be

at the site for as long as it takes. Will Wayne Rooney surpass Bobby

Charlton to become the highest goal-scorer? And this couple tell us

their secret to manage. A collection auctioneers have

described as one of the rarest - and most incredible -

they've ever seen. It's being sold off over

the next two days in Beeston For a model train enthusiast this is

paradise. Rare pieces from around the world -

America, Italy, Switzerland. It's a collection 35

years in the making. The work of this man -

Oldham solicitor and auctioneers couldn't

believe their eyes. It was the quantity of games that

there were. There were rooms with boxes and boxes of trains, and it

was mind blowing. It is the most amazing collection I have seen by a

long way. Virtually all of them were in original boxes and have never

been used, so they are in pristine condition. Anthony Adler was

inspired to start collecting while sheltering from the rain outside a

model train shop. What began as a hobby became an obsession.

So great was Mr Adler's collection, he had a separate house for it.

Latrines were all at Fleetwood, and he was at Oldham. I have never seen

anything like it. -- the trains. It is on track to raise around ?150,000

for charity. I came to see this today, it is fantastic. I would have

loved to have met him. This is just mind blowing. When I was younger and

as a train spotter, this was the bees knees to see. When I saw

this I was guided. As I could afford one, that would be what I would buy.

I'm from London, and the wife won't be watching this, at least she won't

know how much I will send! I was wondering if that was large train,

but I'm not sure? I didn't want to say in case I wrong!

There'll be a big crowd at Old Trafford this evening

as Manchester United play Hull City in the first leg of their

Jose Mourinho's acknowledged his team's got an important

Premier League game against Liverpool at the weekend -

but he says he's taking the EFL Cup seriously.

Mark Edwardson's at Old Trafford for us.

So, he's likely to play a strong side is he?

Yes, he is. He's putting out a strong side because ahead he has

another tantalising tie, the possibility of a tantalising game

against Liverpool possibly in the football league final next month at

Wembley because Liverpool are in the other semifinal against Southampton.

If they get to it could be a Manchester United and Liverpool

final at Wembley. What a tantalising thought for anyone, including Jose

Mourinho. Tonight he has promised to put out a very strong team. This is

in the EFL semifinal cup against Hull. United have been on something

of a winning streak. Their last defeat was against thin Apache in

the Europa League, back in the beginning of November. I have asked

Manchester United fans what they think of the Portuguese progress. I

think he has been a great manager but I think they will do really well

here. They have won six games in a row, so hopefully they will wind

tonight. I think he is performing well after putting grounders. It

could be a big night for Wayne Rooney. Yes, it could indeed because

all eyes will be on him if he plays tonight because at the weekend when

and that he equalled Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 249 goals for

Manchester United, cheered on by the great man himself. It is simply a

matter of when, not if he breaks his record. Could it be tonight? I am

sure both of them are hoping it will. If you cannot get here for the

match tonight, is commentary on BBC radio five live, with kick-off at

eight o'clock. Do you think Sir Bobby is secretly thinking, do not

do it. It is going to happen. And

apparently it was, the Mallard trained.

What's the secret of a long and successful marriage?

If anybody should know, it's Trudy and Barclay Patoir from Manchester.

They've been together for more than seventy years.

They met when they worked together making Lancaster Bombers in

Merseyside during the Second World War.

But, as Stuart Flinders reports, it's not all been plain sailing.

Barclay was an apprentice engineer in British Guyana.

He's there on the bottom right joining a Carribean contingent

heading to England at the height of World War Two.

Here he is on the left, ready to join the war effort.

In 1942, he found himself in Liverpool.

What did you think of Liverpool when you first came here? It was freezing

cold. And the snow was an eye-opener. Had you ever seen it

before? Only in pictures. Barclay was put to work

making Lancaster Bombers Many people worked night and day to

produce these planes for Bomber Command.

His assistant on the production line was Trudy.

Barclay and Trudy took a shine to each other.

And a visit to the Empire Theatre to see star singer

Even now, Trudy is almost tearful when she remembers their song.

Turning much colder over the next couple of days this could kick in

from midnight tonight, we have a net office warning that the wind will be

very strong. The weather itself, patchy cloud, rain here and there,

not too much in the way of rain, some breaks in the cloud cover, but

the wind will be picking up and it could be touching even 60 mph by the

morning. Many down the Pennines, the top of the macro 62. This means that

damages will not be too low. But remember through the morning, and

again while the triangles are mainly around Pennine areas, not

exclusively so, it will be windy absolutely everywhere. In between

the showers there will be spelt of decent sunshine around, but the

breeze is the main feature all the way through the day. As we go

through the day, the number on the chart will say 7 degrees, but

temperatures will fall through the afternoon. Wintry showers will

continue through tomorrow night as the cold weather starts to bite. A

Met Office warning for snow on Thursday. There is a line of whether

just to the south of us which could cause all sorts of problems, so you

do has to watch the forecast over the next 12 hours.

We have a computer here which is going to kick, Tech. We were close.

And you were in good happening. Have a lovely evening. Goodbye.

It's back... Let's get ready to grumble. ..with more belligerence...

Can you imagine anything more diabolical? ..moaning...

..and nonsensical items... Don't send me a curve-ball, Nigel.

Every choice you've ever made, every path you've ever taken,

the man you are today is your memory of Eurus.