:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin
:00:07. > :00:09.Our top story: George Osborne stands down as Tatton MP
:00:10. > :00:11.while the Prime Minister gets the election campaign
:00:12. > :00:14.We'll get the latest from our Political Editor,
:00:15. > :00:18.Nina Warhurst, in Cheshire and Stuart Flinders who's in Bolton.
:00:19. > :00:22.Also in tonight's programme: Cleaning up a costly mess -
:00:23. > :00:26.removing the botched cavity wall insulation which homeowners say
:00:27. > :00:34.A colony of rare butterflies is destroyed -
:00:35. > :00:37.in a suspected arson attack at a Lancashire conservation area.
:00:38. > :00:41.And we'll take a look at the garden - designed to help prevent
:00:42. > :00:58.George Osborne has announced that he is standing down as an MP
:00:59. > :01:00.after 16 years representing the Tatton constituency in Cheshire.
:01:01. > :01:02.The former Chancellor, who has been appointed Editor
:01:03. > :01:12.of the Evening Standard newspaper, says he wants to take
:01:13. > :01:16.The news comes on the day the region's MPs voted
:01:17. > :01:18.on the Prime Minister's plans to hold a snap election.
:01:19. > :01:22.Our Political Editor Nina Warhurst is in Knutsford tonight.
:01:23. > :01:26.Only last month, he was defending himself against criticism
:01:27. > :01:28.about his other commitments and was given the backing
:01:29. > :01:47.You are right. Less than a month ago, I stood in this exact spot
:01:48. > :01:52.saying I had spoken to him and he had practically told me it was his
:01:53. > :01:58.desire to stay, serving the people of Tatton and remaining their MP.
:01:59. > :02:04.But that nickname "Five jobs George" may have to be reviewed because he
:02:05. > :02:12.says he wants to go on writing the fitting -- Britain he loves so he is
:02:13. > :02:18.leaving politics to work as editor of the London Evening Standard. I
:02:19. > :02:25.also talked about how the people of Tatton told me how they love him.
:02:26. > :02:27.This report now on whether after two days and nights the end of the love
:02:28. > :02:35.affair. He said he would carry on until the
:02:36. > :02:41.election but he just didn't think it would happen quite yet. The
:02:42. > :02:45.soon-to-be ex-MP for Tatton, calling time on the Commons for now anyway.
:02:46. > :02:52.It has been a great privilege being the member of Parliament for Tatton
:02:53. > :02:55.for 16 years. I love this country, its diversity and optimism and those
:02:56. > :03:00.are the values I espouse dozen member of the parliament and as
:03:01. > :03:06.Chancellor but now I would aspire to this by user -- as editor of the
:03:07. > :03:12.great British newspaper. They are getting rid -- getting ready to say
:03:13. > :03:17.goodbye of their MP here. Have you heard he is not standing? Good. You
:03:18. > :03:23.might I think so as well. He hasn't got time for us. He is a very busy
:03:24. > :03:30.man. So I can understand why he would want to do it. Elected in
:03:31. > :03:36.2001, he became the youngest Tory MP in the Commons with affluent
:03:37. > :03:40.constituency in Cheshire and he became the face of posterity
:03:41. > :03:47.politics. Eight Chancellor with a mantra. We are all in this together.
:03:48. > :03:56.The self-styled powerhouse, and having been gift from the... He has
:03:57. > :03:59.a new job now, one of several highly paid posts. Some questioned his
:04:00. > :04:06.commitment to Tatton and wanted him out. He achieved an awful lot for
:04:07. > :04:12.the area. At the constituency Tory chairman wanted him to stay. Are you
:04:13. > :04:18.proud of him? Yes, I am. I don't want him to go but I understand his
:04:19. > :04:23.reasoning and I expect the -- respect his decision. With one less
:04:24. > :04:26.job to do, in the next few weeks he will be packing up his things and
:04:27. > :04:33.moving out of this constituency office. Whoever replaces him will
:04:34. > :04:37.most likely have a slightly lower profile, but bear in mind that
:04:38. > :04:43.before George Osborne it was Martin Bell. And before him it was Neil
:04:44. > :04:47.Hamilton. Politically, this is a constituency that attracts
:04:48. > :04:49.attention. George Osborne himself is not ruling out a return to politics
:04:50. > :05:01.in the future. So, Tatton will need a new MP and
:05:02. > :05:05.George Osborne is not the only of the regions MP to announce he is not
:05:06. > :05:12.standing again. That's right. Today we learned that the Lib Dem MP
:05:13. > :05:16.Forsythe board will also resign after 16 years in politics. He said
:05:17. > :05:24.he doesn't want to work through the night make chaos of Brexit. The
:05:25. > :05:32.Democrats of course whether most Pro-remain party. There were just
:05:33. > :05:38.two rebels in the north-west voted against the general election going.
:05:39. > :05:42.One was Graham Stringer and the other was Liz McInnis. Graham
:05:43. > :05:47.Stringer told me earlier that he couldn't back the general election
:05:48. > :05:50.because he said the Prime Minister's reasons are political, using it to
:05:51. > :05:55.force through an agenda of cuts and he cannot endorse that. Those
:05:56. > :06:01.rebellions are the smallest of Jeremy Corbyn's worries at the
:06:02. > :06:04.moment. One MP released a statement earlier today and he said he wants
:06:05. > :06:09.to stand as Labour MP for the region but he cannot endorse Jeremy Corbyn
:06:10. > :06:14.saying he doesn't think he can do the job and he doesn't even believe
:06:15. > :06:22.Jeremy Corbyn believes that. He says it's time he stands down before the
:06:23. > :06:27.next general election. Thank you. Begotten by election in Manchester
:06:28. > :06:28.has been helped over and will be contested on general election day as
:06:29. > :06:32.well. -- the Gorton by-election. George Osborne was sacked
:06:33. > :06:34.from his job at Chancellor by Theresa May in one of her first
:06:35. > :06:37.acts after succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister last year
:06:38. > :06:40.and she's in the region tonight. Hours after MPs resoundingly voted
:06:41. > :06:43.to back her plans for a general election on June 8th,
:06:44. > :06:45.she was in Bolton to start Stuart Flinders is there for us
:06:46. > :06:49.tonight - this underlines how important this region is likely
:06:50. > :07:04.to be again in this election. I think so. Two words you will hear
:07:05. > :07:09.again and again from two reason may from this campaign and listen out
:07:10. > :07:13.for them, strong and stable. During a short speech to reporters here
:07:14. > :07:17.tonight she promised that under the Conservatives, there would be strong
:07:18. > :07:25.and stable government. Here is what she had to say. A clear choice at
:07:26. > :07:30.this election. It's a choice between strong and stable leadership under
:07:31. > :07:36.the Conservatives all week and unstable coalition of chaos led by
:07:37. > :07:42.Jeremy Corbyn. So, the campaign starts here in Bolton. I spent the
:07:43. > :07:45.day in the town gauging opinion. To warn you, if you are a Bolton
:07:46. > :07:51.Wanderers supporter, you may find some images distressing.
:07:52. > :07:58.They know all about fine margins here. A win for the Wanderers last
:07:59. > :08:02.night would have all but sealed promotion to the championship. A
:08:03. > :08:08.draw means that could go either way. And it could go either way into the
:08:09. > :08:13.town 's three Parliamentary constituencies this election time.
:08:14. > :08:20.Bolton South East is solid neighbour -- labour. But Bolton West is a Tory
:08:21. > :08:25.marginal. Labour's majority here in Bolton North East with its famous
:08:26. > :08:29.town Hall is less than 5000, which makes it a target for the
:08:30. > :08:39.Conservatives this time around. So Bolton really is a battle ground.
:08:40. > :08:43.Get it? So, what are the issues the parties will need to go to war on
:08:44. > :08:53.here? Is Brexit the main issue? I think so. More than the national
:08:54. > :08:58.health? Yes, until we sort Brexit out you can't really sought much
:08:59. > :09:08.else out. I think Labour will probably be better for me. Because
:09:09. > :09:12.of the NHS? Yes. Keeping continuity around Brexit so keeping that clear
:09:13. > :09:24.and concise. Does that mean you would vote Tory? It will be in my
:09:25. > :09:33.thinking. Immigration. Which party is best in dealing with immigration?
:09:34. > :09:38.I don't know, Ukip. However we get rid of the Tory party and they
:09:39. > :09:43.crazy, awful austerities policies is fine by me. Whether or not the
:09:44. > :09:47.Wanderers make the headlines over the next few weeks, Bolton will be
:09:48. > :09:53.in the news as the political parties put the boot into each other.
:09:54. > :09:59.So why did two reason may choose Bolton to start the campaign? This
:10:00. > :10:03.church will is in the constituency of Bolton North East which is a
:10:04. > :10:09.target seat for the Conservatives. I asked one of her aides why here? And
:10:10. > :10:12.she said, pure chance. Thank you, Stuart.
:10:13. > :10:17.Sticking a pin in a map! Prison inspectors have branded HMP
:10:18. > :10:19.Garth in Lancashire, "very unsafe" in their latest
:10:20. > :10:20.report with violence amongst inmates having
:10:21. > :10:22.increased "substantially" The Chief Inspector of Prisons says
:10:23. > :10:26.the jail near Leyland has gone into a steep decline over
:10:27. > :10:29.the last two years. The prison service says
:10:30. > :10:31.a new governor is now in place and improvements are being made
:10:32. > :10:34.to address the issues Eight people have been arrested
:10:35. > :10:38.in Lancashire on suspicion Police carried out a series
:10:39. > :10:41.of early morning raids at properties in Blackburn,
:10:42. > :10:45.Preston and Blackpool. Eight women, believed
:10:46. > :10:47.to have been brought to the UK from Romania,
:10:48. > :10:49.are being helped Seven men and one woman
:10:50. > :10:56.are being questioned in custody. Rail services between the North West
:10:57. > :10:58.and London are facing major disruption following a fire that
:10:59. > :11:00.damaged signal cables Repair work is ongoing
:11:01. > :11:05.and services should get back Still to come on North West Tonight:
:11:06. > :11:16.A colony of rare butterflies is destroyed in a suspected arson
:11:17. > :11:19.attack at a Lancashire And planning for the future -
:11:20. > :11:23.the designer garden that Many of us have had cavity
:11:24. > :11:33.wall insulation put in - to make our homes greener,
:11:34. > :11:36.warmer and to save money. But now some are blighted by damp -
:11:37. > :11:41.because it was wrongly installed. Thousands of homes in the region
:11:42. > :11:43.are now having it removed - Today victims took their
:11:44. > :11:47.case to Parliament. Abbie Jones is here now with more
:11:48. > :11:53.on her exclusive investigation. Done properly, this
:11:54. > :11:55.kind of insulation can Almost a million people
:11:56. > :12:02.in the North West have had it put The industry says complaints
:12:03. > :12:06.are very low, but campaigners say damp and mould can take years
:12:07. > :12:09.to show itself and consumers often In Lancashire, a thermal imaging
:12:10. > :12:15.company found the insulation had failed in over a third of council
:12:16. > :12:19.and housing association properties. Now the government's being asked
:12:20. > :12:21.to urgently investigate the true We've had cracks, we've had
:12:22. > :12:28.plaster falling off. We haven't been able
:12:29. > :12:31.to have people at home. A single mum from Crumpsall
:12:32. > :12:39.in Manchester, Jeanette jumped at the chance to save money
:12:40. > :12:42.with cavity wall insulation. But the damp got so bad, Jeanette's
:12:43. > :12:47.insulation had to be removed. In Ashton-under-Lyne, Gillian's
:12:48. > :12:58.bedroom is riddled with mould. To meet government
:12:59. > :13:07.targets, some installers putting it in wrongly and pushing it
:13:08. > :13:13.on homeowners where it was Blackpool, Southport,
:13:14. > :13:16.Fleetwood, Lancaster, are exposed to driving rain
:13:17. > :13:20.which can seep into bricks and But that's where extraction
:13:21. > :13:26.expert Damian Mercer He takes out failed insulation
:13:27. > :13:31.across and says the cost It is a massive problem
:13:32. > :13:41.in the Northwest. I know of 1200 homes right
:13:42. > :13:44.now that have the problem. The scale of the problem
:13:45. > :13:48.is horrendous. In Poulton-le-Fylde,
:13:49. > :13:51.Grace has damp - but her installer We have construction rubble
:13:52. > :14:08.causing damp on the inside. You should never have had
:14:09. > :14:33.cavity wall insulation in Cavity wall insulation is often free
:14:34. > :14:38.as it is subsidised by the government but it costs thousands to
:14:39. > :14:43.take it out. The real irony is this insulation is supposed to make our
:14:44. > :14:49.homes greener but when it has to be removed, where does it end up?
:14:50. > :14:53.Landfill. Dyson says it is satisfied it examined her property and doesn't
:14:54. > :14:58.believe her dad is due to installation. The government says it
:14:59. > :15:02.is committed to insuring consumers up protected and it has strict
:15:03. > :15:07.standards. There is a 25 year guarantee. But those who believed --
:15:08. > :15:10.believe their homes have been ruined say that is lacking.
:15:11. > :15:12.Nigel Donohue is the head of CIGA which represents cavity wall
:15:13. > :15:28.Why did installers fit this stuff when they shouldn't have?
:15:29. > :15:31.Well, can I firstly say that I am sympathetic for
:15:32. > :15:54.I am aware of the cases you have mentioned. Jeannette had carried --
:15:55. > :15:58.cavity wall insulation but the installer didn't supply a guarantee
:15:59. > :16:02.and we are doing everything to put that right. It seems like everyone
:16:03. > :16:08.who expressed an interest had it pumped into willy-nilly whereas in
:16:09. > :16:14.some properties it is obviously not appropriate. In terms of the failure
:16:15. > :16:17.rate of the product, as the largest divider, we have issued 6 million
:16:18. > :16:24.guarantees and out of those we've only ever had a claim of less than
:16:25. > :16:29.0.25%. Before an installation there is a survey to make sure the
:16:30. > :16:34.property is suitable. It wasn't done in some of these cases, as you
:16:35. > :16:40.probably heard. All surveys were inadequate. I would like to think
:16:41. > :16:45.that in the very few cases that you've mentioned, the industry has
:16:46. > :16:51.dealt with that and the runs had been put right. Some people may not
:16:52. > :16:53.be aware of the guarantees. A lot of people weren't aware of your
:16:54. > :17:02.organisation and the fact they might be covered. What is your advice to
:17:03. > :17:06.them? We supply a very robust guarantee scheme. If somebody has a
:17:07. > :17:16.problem with cavity wall insulation they should immediately contact
:17:17. > :17:23.CIGA. In the worst-case we can direct them to somewhere. So you're
:17:24. > :17:28.not going to wriggle out of it? We will put it into context in the
:17:29. > :17:31.north-west. 1 million properties are treated with cavity wall insulation
:17:32. > :17:38.and only four in 1000 properties have been affected. That is
:17:39. > :17:44.remediation, repair. On the whole it was a very effective product that
:17:45. > :17:51.has had a significant and beneficial impact. And he got it in your house?
:17:52. > :17:55.I have, yes. It's an installer that is still trading and there are no
:17:56. > :17:58.problems whatsoever. Thank you for your time this evening.
:17:59. > :18:01.Conservationists say years of work have been wiped out by a series
:18:02. > :18:03.of arson attacks on a wildlife reserve in Lancashire.
:18:04. > :18:05.Heysham Moss was targetted three times in three days.
:18:06. > :18:08.And the fires have wiped out a colony of rare butterflies
:18:09. > :18:11.which were only reintroduced there three years ago.
:18:12. > :18:15.Our Chief Reporter, Dave Guest, has the story.
:18:16. > :18:18.June 2014 and the large heath butterfly returns
:18:19. > :18:25.This extremely rare species was reintroduced after a breeding
:18:26. > :18:31.programme organised by Chester Zoo and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
:18:32. > :18:37.April 2017 and the hopes of three years ago have gone up in flames.
:18:38. > :18:42.Someone set fire to the moss causing extensive damage.
:18:43. > :18:46.We've worked really hard to get species that haven't been
:18:47. > :18:53.here for a long time back and this has set us back a good few years.
:18:54. > :18:56.Whoever did this was nothing if not determined.
:18:57. > :18:58.They set three consecutive fires on three consecutive nights and,
:18:59. > :19:12.in so doing, they've succeeded in destroying around
:19:13. > :19:19.Why people would want to do this - depriving the kids and grandkids
:19:20. > :19:22.in years to come - of a fabulous place and some
:19:23. > :19:26.John Lamb says the fire will have completely wiped out the large heath
:19:27. > :19:28.butterfly population they had worked so hard to nurture.
:19:29. > :19:31.Well, the butterfly would have been in a chrysalis, in a cocoon,
:19:32. > :19:33.attached to the vegetation very low down.
:19:34. > :19:35.So, as you can see, it's all been burnt off.
:19:36. > :19:37.Potentially, we could have lost the entire population.
:19:38. > :19:44.You know, we've been doing this since 2013
:19:45. > :19:50.What chance of reintroducing the species back here?
:19:51. > :19:53.We will literally had to start from scratch but we could be looking
:19:54. > :19:56.at a few years before we are in that position again.
:19:57. > :20:01.Anyone with information about the fire is being urged
:20:02. > :20:23.The floods we have seen in recent years have caused misery as we know.
:20:24. > :20:27.The Royal horticultural Society says the danger of flooding has increased
:20:28. > :20:30.because many of us have paved over our front gardens.
:20:31. > :20:33.Taking inspiration from the River Ribble.
:20:34. > :20:35.A Chelsea Flower Show, Gold Award winning garden designer,
:20:36. > :20:43.creating grand designs for parking spaces.
:20:44. > :20:47.A lot of people like to block paved driveways. This is a new product
:20:48. > :20:50.that will let water soaked through. Supported by United Utilities,
:20:51. > :21:02.John wants to inspire more thought Most people have two cars in a
:21:03. > :21:06.family. It's not about saying, you can't do it, is about using
:21:07. > :21:07.materials that will let water permeate through rather than
:21:08. > :21:09.run-off. The north-west has been hit
:21:10. > :21:12.by severe flooding in recent year, some of it blamed on householders
:21:13. > :21:14.paving over front That speeds up rain water flow
:21:15. > :21:32.and overwhelms drains. It's heartbreaking when you sleep
:21:33. > :21:39.people's homes ruined. If everyone can just do a little bit, it can be
:21:40. > :21:40.quite small, but the cumulative effect can have a major affect on
:21:41. > :21:42.the drainage system. Alongside a greener driveway,
:21:43. > :22:05.plants could help slow Lots of plans would be happy to be
:22:06. > :22:07.damp or wet. Willows or hydrangeas. Much smaller things as well, right
:22:08. > :22:10.down to tiny little things. John's green-over-grey garden design
:22:11. > :22:12.goes on display at the RHS Tatton Flower Show in the summer
:22:13. > :22:15.and will be something to enjoy Steve Saul, BBC North West
:22:16. > :22:31.Tonight, Lancashire. My garden is like a mud bath!
:22:32. > :22:37.We've had too much rain. Too much concrete on it! Diane.
:22:38. > :22:44.This land has actually been quite dry. It's the dog running around in
:22:45. > :22:50.the mud, isn't it? Good evening. High pressure has
:22:51. > :22:54.dominated quite a bit so April has been relatively dry. More rain over
:22:55. > :22:58.the next couple of days and particularly towards the weekend we
:22:59. > :23:06.will see more weather fronts coming towards us and temperatures below
:23:07. > :23:13.were a bit. But there will be some spells of sunshine early doors. The
:23:14. > :23:16.cloud gradually started to build today and for most of us it was a
:23:17. > :23:25.great day with sunshine in short supply.
:23:26. > :23:34.For the next couple of hours, grey and gloomy and I'm sure that's the
:23:35. > :23:38.picture outside your window. The light will be very much as it was
:23:39. > :23:43.last night with a lot of cloud cover and some drizzly stuff but nothing
:23:44. > :23:48.to write home about. Over high-level, cloud will be low
:23:49. > :23:54.visibility will not be brilliant tomorrow. The saving grace in the
:23:55. > :24:01.forecast, and there's always a positive, is that temperatures will
:24:02. > :24:05.be up in relatively mild air. When you get up tomorrow morning, it
:24:06. > :24:10.won't be cool but it will look quite grey for the first few hours. Here
:24:11. > :24:17.comes the rain again, the remnants of that weather front. When you get
:24:18. > :24:22.to around ten o'clock most of that should have moved away and, fingers
:24:23. > :24:28.crossed, you may well see more in the way of sunshine than today.
:24:29. > :24:32.Hopefully the cloud will thin. Even if it's not brilliant sunshine, it
:24:33. > :24:41.will be bright. The sun will have some warmth to it. So feeling a bit
:24:42. > :24:46.better than today. But it will be in short supply. For the next couple of
:24:47. > :24:48.days it is more of the same with a drop in temperatures towards the
:24:49. > :25:00.weekend, but only a little drop. Mowing the lawn time?
:25:01. > :25:07.I think you need to dry days for that.
:25:08. > :25:36.Thank you for watching. We are back with a late news at 10:25pm goodbye.
:25:37. > :25:41.the most that have ever voted for anything in this country,
:25:42. > :25:50.take back control and forge our own destiny in the 21st century.
:25:51. > :25:53.Ukip members have campaigned for this for 23 years,
:25:54. > :25:58.but this is only the beginning of regaining control,
:25:59. > :26:03.to support Ukip in these local elections.