18/01/2017 North West Tonight

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,

Welcome to NorthWest Tonight, with Roger Johnson

Celebrations as Chorley's A re-opens after nine months,

But campaigners but say they'll continue to fight

Protesters are opposing the closure of walk in centres and do not

believe promises from NHS bosses that it will not put pressure on

accident and emergency departments. Also tonight, Manchester United

becomes Britain's first football club to hire

its own counter-terrorism expert. BAe scientists develop an invisible

shield to combat the laser Nine months ago, Chorley Hospital

shut its Accident and Emergency Department,

saying there weren't enough Campaigners feared it would be

permanent, but this morning, But while A across the region

are under unprecedented strain, in Bury health officials have today

decided to close two Our Health Correspondent,

Gill Dummigan, is at Chorley Hospital for us this

evening. Yes, safe to say people

are pretty happy here. Campaigners clapped staff

in at 7.30 this morning - there's a candlelit vigil coming

down the road at the moment to herald the end of

the first 12 hours. It's been a long battle and some

are saying it's not over yet. There's been a demonstration outside

this hospital every week But this was a celebration -

finally, their A was back. We are very pleased. It has been a

long road. It has been 40 weeks outside the hospital, demonstrating,

and it has been a real community effort. We are really quite proud of

what we've achieved. Between 8am and 8pm,

the service will run in tandem with a 24 hour urgent care centre,

now run by a not-for-profit We will be seeing patients who are

deemed fit for primary care, to be seen by a GP, nurse practitioner, or

a nurse or health care assistant, therefore taking the pressure away

from the A department. The idea is to have people pointed towards the

service most appropriate for them. If you turn up here under your own

steam, you will go through that door and a member of staff will decide

whether it is urgent care you need all the full services of A

A similar system also started in this trust's other

They're hoping it'll relieve the pressure on A

Today, the patients we interviewed were impressed.

We want to improve the experience for our patients. Nobody wants to

wait for hours to be attended to. And we are hoping that streaming at

the front door, we will reduce that waiting time for patients.

Fantastic. Staff are brilliant. Really helpful. Really friendly.

Kind. Gentle. We got a few words of advice as well, which was really

nice. It was brilliant. We were only in their 20 minutes. The service was

good as well. Everyone - campaigners

and clinicians - is still saying the ultimate goal is for a 24 hour

A once more. Meanwhile in Greater Manchester,

there were angry protests this afternoon as health bosses

voted to close two walk-in centres. The centres, in Bury and Prestwich,

will close later this year despite a survey in

which 83% of people said The local NHS says they were

ineffective and insists the local A won't bear the brunt

of their closure. The walk-in centres in Bury

and Prestwich were opened in 2004, as a result of a flagship policy

of the then Labour government. They were meant to relieve

pressure on A units Around the region and the country,

walk in centres have been closing. I have not used it personally but I

have with my husband and he was directed straight to hospital. This

is really helpful, this place. I don't see why they should close it.

I do feel it is a shame actually. Of course I do. There is always times

when people cannot access the daughter. The clinical commissioning

group found that the number of patients attending the services had

fallen by nearly 13,000 over 18 months. But 83% of people disagreed

with closing the centres. The centres might be popular with

patients but a review pointed out that they don't have access to

people's medical records and the walk in the centres are often simply

redirecting patients to other services. Most of the people who

attend walk in centres are for minor things. There is a considerable

proportion of people that can be managed by themselves but others do

get passed on to other parts of the service, appropriately. We would

like to get them to those services first time. There is undoubtedly

some duplication because people don't know which service is best for

them. local Labour activists protested

outside a meeting where CCG members Thousands and thousands of people

use them on a yearly basis and they reduce the pressure on the A

department in local hospitals. The other services are bursting and they

need these places where you can just go in.

The Commissioning Group later voted unanimously to go

It insists the money saved will be spent locally to ensure more

appointments are available with GPs and extra minor care staff

But it admits it's closing a popular service.

People in the report saying that they are concerned, the effect this

will have on A departments but the local NHS says it is not gone to

affect the emergency departments. That is right. They said that it

will not make any difference to that A The nearest A is North

Manchester General. Interesting to note that at the end of last week,

some figures came out showing which ones had been under pressure and had

had to declare alerts over the past couple months. North Manchester

General had not declared any alerts at all. I would imagine that

campaigners will be watching those figures like a hawk over the next

couple of months to see a fat changes. Thank you very much indeed.

An eight-month-old baby has been recovered safely from a house

in Birkenhead where a man was involved in a six-hour

Raffles Road was closed while the man, who had

a number of weapons, barricaded himself in

Specialist negotiators persuaded him to come out and he was arrested.

A crossbow and a machete were found at the house.

Due to a major gas leak, it has become necessary

for emergency services to close at the above location, in both

British Gas Transco are also at scene, and local residences

Avoid Liverpool City Centre if at all possible.

The operator of London's Docklands Light Railway has been appointed

Transport infrastructure firm KeolisAmey has been awarded

Transport for Greater Manchester says the new agreement will create

more than 300 jobs and provide an "increased staff

The inquiry into the death of an unarmed man who was shot

by police has heard the officer who fired thought they

Police thought Anthony Grainger was plotting armed robberies.

Today the inquiry heard details of the accounts given by some

of the police officers who were part of the operation.

Our Social Affairs Correspondent Clare Fallon's been at the hearing

and you've been given more details about the events leading

Yes, we did. Today was the first time we have heard what happened on

that night in 2012, almost five years ago, when Anthony Grainger was

shot dead by police. 16 firearms officers were sent out by the

Greater Manchester forced to a car park to arrest their three suspects,

men who they believed were about to carry out an armed robbery and we've

been told about the accounts that were given by the police officer who

fired the fatal bullet. We only know him as Q9. He said, I saw the driver

lower his right hand to his groin. That is the moment when police

officer Q9 fired his gun, shooting Anthony Grainger and we now know

that he was not armed. We have heard some criticism of the way this

operation was run by Greater Manchester Police. What issues have

been raised? Today we've been told that during the briefing to those

firearms officers that evening, before they went out on this

operation, some of the information was inaccurate. We've also heard

about issues with one of the weapons they had with them, a CS gas

canister which was thrown into the car in which Anthony Grainger was

sitting. That weapon had not been authorised for use by the Home

Secretary. Greater Manchester Police should not have been using it. And

even though there were 16 firearms officers with something like 40

weapons with them, they were no cameras. It was not standard to wear

body cameras at that point and man of the vehicles had cameras on them.

There is no video footage of what happened. Thank you very much

indeed. In four months, Greater Manchester

and the Liverpool City region As part of Greater Manchester's

deal, the new office will control Powers over policing,

health, social care, and housing are also being moved

away from London to the region. And in preparation, firefighters

have already started taking on extra roles to help

support other services. Our political editor,

Nina Warhurst, explains. I see you've got your markers

on the oven now, which is fantastic. Roberta is a trained

firefighter but she's not Adam is blind and over a few

visits, she is making sure he is eating and sleeping well

and doesn't feel isolated. It's now her job to support

vulnerable people in her community. It's a fantastic job,

to be able to change a person's livelihood or lifestyle,

to make it simpler. Just a simple change

to make all the difference. She touches me all the time

to see what I need. While helping Adam, Roberta is also

lifting pressure from social care services and devolution promises

more of this. At the moment, policy is decided

by the fire authority, which is made up of 30 elected

councillors, but from May, fire and rescue will come under

the new elected Mayor's office. He or she will have a much

smaller committee there to help but ultimately,

decisions on budget, on policy and food to higher raw

fire come down to the new mayor. People in greater Manchester might

be saying, what is the point We'll be making decisions

at the heart of the community, I think we'll have councillors

who will be able to support the mayor in making those decisions

because we'll be working very closely the public

that we represent. But 200 jobs are currently at risk

and one union told me, we are concerned that underlay

mayor, the existing democratic And this comes at a bleak

time financially. We hope devolution isn't used

as a vehicle for further cuts. But Mike believes that

learning new skills could He regularly goes out

with paramedics to cardiac arrests. What is that feeling like then,

thinking that man is walking about because I was there,

supporting the ambulance? We have made a great

outcome of a really poor The outcomes of devolution

are still unknown but the hope is that people like Adam will end up

feeling better supported than ever. Nina, it's a big ask

for firefighters to also become Well, the logic of devolution is if

you have a smaller team taking bigger decisions closer to home, all

of those services will become more streamlined and work together. For

example, Roberta if she saw Adam was not feeling so well, she might make

sure that he was treated in the community, rather than heading to

accident and emergency. But there is a concern that if the lines are

blurred too much as to who does what, something might be missed and

what if this new Mayor takes on too much and is not the right man or

woman for the job? That is potentially very damaging.

Manchester United has appointed a full time

counter terrorist expert, thought to be the first

The new post has been filled by a former Greater

Manchester Police inspector, whose arrival follows two high

profile security breaches at the club within a year.

May 2016, thousands of fans are evacuated from Old Trafford

after the discovery of a fake bomb, accidentally left by a security firm

I am absolutely devastated that a lapse in wording protocols has led

to people being inconvenienced and frightened.

Months later, two fans spend a Friday night undetected

Both security breaches came with Britain's terror threat

Since then 38 people were killed in bomb attacks following a top

We understand that in the light of recent terror attacks the Premier

League forwarded updated security guidance to clubs but that many of

these clubs had already received it from the authorities. It is also

understood that security decisions are in general taken by individual

clubs working with their local police forces. You look at

Manchester United, it is more than just a football club, it is a

national brand, an international brand. So if I was a terrorist and I

was looking at a sporting stadium to attack, which we saw similar in

France, in Paris and in Turkey recently, it could be a prime

target. I understand the club taking these measures.

measures are already in place at Old Trafford.

There are searches at turnstiles, while vehicles

This afternoon, fans welcomed the club's counter

It is always in the back of your mind now when they did not used to

be but it is a sign of the times. If the club feels that they have to do

something like that, it it just gives the fans peace of mind. I

would rather them spend what they do on a counterterrorism specialist and

wake up on a Sunday morning and read about a disaster that occurred.

We've contacted the regions' four other

Premier League sides regarding their

Only Manchester City responded, saying "We take security very

seriously and have a team of experts dealing with all aspects of safety".

While no terror attack's have taken place at a ground in the UK,

ongoing precautions reflect ongoing concerns.

Richard's here now with tonight's sport and a chance for Liverpool

Eyebrows were certainly raised over Jurgen Klopp's team selection

for the Reds' original third round tie at home to Plymouth.

It was the club's youngest ever starting eleven which drew 0-0

at home to the League Two side and while the boss made no apologies

for his choices ten days ago, he's also not promising wholesale

changes to that team for tonight's replay down in Devon.

Probably, probably, it will be different to the team we had in the

first game but that is not 100% sure. We will have to wait a little

bit. But we will be good. And there'll be full match

commentary from 7.45 tonight on BBC Radio Merseyside,

all the build up begins at 7. Onto last night's action now

where this Sam Vokes goal and one from Andre Gray helped Burnley

to a 2-0 win over Sunderland. They'll host Bristol City next

after the Championship side edged And despite this fabulous

goal from James Henry, Bolton lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace

who know play host There was an eye-catching win

for Blackpool in the Cup last night. The seasiders, currently

in League Two, dumped out Barnsley from the Championship in thrilling

style deep into extra time. But for many fans it doesn't give

them too much reason to cheer. The heady days of top-flight

football at Bloomfield Road are a fading memory,

with many supporters blaming the current owners,

the Oyston family, for failing to invest enough of that

Premier League windfall. A terrific performance and a morale

boosting result. Blackpool 's win at championship Barnsley was one of the

shocks of the third round, with two goals from Samuel the highlight of

an excellent display. It was brilliant. The lads were

unbelievable. It is a fantastic effort from them. Enormously proud

of the effort from them. But for Blackpool, the backdrop of

infighting and the rest is never far away. The major shareholder and

president are in dispute in the courts and supporters protests,

thousands are staying away from matches, have intensified over the

last couple of seasons. They are boycotting, not because of the

position we are in the leak but because of all the different things

that have gone on that are well documented, because of the way the

football club is being run, it has gone on too long, too much has

happened and it needs to stop. All things being equal, Blackpool

supporters should be looking forward to what is an excellent fixture

against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup. But it is clear that for a

large number of them, they are simply not willing to put money into

the pockets of the current owners added will be very interesting see

just how many Blackpool supporters make the journey. I would imagine

quite a few will go. I tend to think a lot of the Oyston out brigade will

be there. It is so sad what has happened to Blackpool. What do you

say to the fact that if results were better, people would start coming

back question mark no, absolutely not. Those people they have a heart

for Blackpool but not for Oyston. Blackpool are now in the fourth

round of the FA Cup and have been playing some good football but with

crowds down to 2000, for many fans, the focus is not so much on staying

in the cup as trying to force the owners out.

TV personality and speed enthusiast Guy Martin will return to the Isle

of Man TT races this year where he'll team up

with the Morecambe Missile John McGuinness on the Honda team.

They're both big stars of road racing but Guy has

The crowd favourite didn't take part last year,

he was taking part in an 2,700 mile mountain bike race

He has had plenty of second places, maybe this one will be the one where

he wins. The Liverpool team news is in. Daniel Sturridge and Philippe

Countinho bold start. Jurgen Klopp is putting out a much more

experienced side. We will have the best of the action

on the late news at half past ten. Thank you very much.

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but a Lancashire based

defence company says powerful laser beams could replace bullets

So BAe Systems at Warton has a team working on ways to develop invisible

shields that would protect ships and planes from such a threat.

Dave Guest has been finding out more.

It is Nick 's job to look into the future. I am a futurist. But there

is and a crystal ball inside. He works for BAe systems at Warton in

Lincolnshire. It really is about what the future means to us and what

do we need to do about it. And this is the future he is investigating at

present. A future where powerful lazy beams could replace bullets and

shells in the theatre of war. In ten or 20 years' time, we could expect

to see laser technologies being used fairly extensively on the

battlefield. What we are looking at doing is essentially deflecting an

incoming laser beam. A bit like an invisible protective shield. It is

an invisible protecting shield, yes. Powerful laser beams capable of

blasting a pain out of the sky, deflector shields, it all sounds

like the plot of a science-fiction film but it is an idea that has been

raised as a real possibility in the past. I know this is a technical

task. Back in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan unveiled his strategic

defence initiative, the so-called Star Wars programme. It never came

to pass. What is to say that this will proceed to reality where

Reagans policy failed? We are seeing a revolution in new types of

solid-state laser physics. The laser technology we are talking about is

different to the laser technology of the past. If the British government

could not afford to buy this, what's to say you would not sell it to the

Russians or the Chinese? The defence industry is a heavily regulated

industry. There are various rules in place to prevent anyone doing that

in the UK. How far off in the future before these graphics become a

reality? In terms of a deflector shield, we might only be 20 or so

years away. It is still on the horizon but not as far away as it

once seemed. Almost a quarter of a million pounds

has been raised for charity after model trains collected

by an Oldham solicitor Many of the valuable items,

including trains in mint condition and some which had never been

removed from their original packaging, sold for almost

double their estimate. A staggering ?230,000 has been

raised for charity after 4,000 model trains and carriages acquired by one

Oldham collector went The rare items, collected by former

Oldham Solicitor and model train collector Antony Adler,

had expected to fetch around ?150,000 during the two-day auction

at Wright Marshall Fine Arts last Let's catch up with the weather

forecast. Nothing has changed for about 48 hours. And for another 48

hours, nothing else will change either. This cold air is coming from

the continent. The weather is coming towards us from the West. For the

most part, we have very weak weather fronts and an awful lot of cloud

cover. The sea is relatively mild at this time of year, as the air comes

across it, the temperatures are not falling away at all so we are

sitting pretty. However with the shift in the high pressure towards

the weekend we will start to see the wind coming towards us from the

continent. Conditions will get much colder. But maybe some bright

weather now and again. That has been in short supply. It is more of what

we have had recently. Plenty of cloud cover. Visibility is quite

poor out and about. Some mist and fog forming. In terms of rain

amounts, negligible. There is hardly anything out there. It is a very

weak weather front. We are just seeing a few spots here and there.

You might just catch one or two in these places but nothing to write

home about. Been there is a pretty good. Seven and eight tomorrow

morning. For tomorrow, the picture does not change. The sun comes up

and you will not see it at all. Behind the cloud for the whole of

the day. You will catch a little drizzle but for most of us, it is a

dry picture. Nothing to stir that cloud cover. Once again, eight or

nine is where most of us will be. It is very mild.

What are you laughing about? I am feeling sorry for anyone who sat

through the programme waiting for the weather forecast.

It will change by the weekend though.

Those grey skies, they are so depressing. We need some sun.

Don't bother tuning in at 1025 because she will tell you the same

again. Please do. Goodbye.