20/04/2017 North West Tonight

Welcome to North West Tonight with Graham Liver and Annabel Tiffin.

Accused of illegally dumping tonnes of rubbish,

two people are arrested after an investigation

Also tonight, mental health campaigners in Manchester say

cost-cutting is leaving them without vital support.

Political musical chairs - Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson wants

Steve Rotherham's Parliamentary seat.

The stench was horrendous. to

The swarms of flies almost unbearable.

Hundreds of tonnes of rubbish were dumped in parts of Liverpool,

making life a misery for many people last summer.

Today, after an undercover investigation,scores of police

and environmental protection officers carried out

raids across the country and arrested two people.

Here's our Merseyside reporter Andy Gill.

Police and environment agency staff raided businesses and homes in three

A covert operation was set up after alleged illegal

dumping at 17 sites, including Liverpool and Warrington.

Nearly 500 tonnes were left at this site in Everton last year.

Another 2,000 tonnes were dumped nearby.

In Liverpool, the council welcomed today's arrests.

a significant waste crime. Organised criminals involved in this and we

The dumping here last summer caused plagues of flies and other vermin.

And the cabinet member for neighbourhoods says

people who live near areas like this of toxic waste is on your doorstep.

It Collecting rubbish is the relatively

Taking it to landfill or for recycling is expensive.

And by just dumping it, unscrupulous operators can

the clean-up cost Liverpool close to half

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of organising

the illegal dumping of waste in Liverpool and elsewhere.

One man was arrested in Hertfordshire, and the other

I've been speaking to Lee Rawlinson from the Environment Agency.

I asked him how big a problem the dumping of waste by criminal

Waste dumping across the whole country is a massive problem.

It diverts about a billion pounds from the Treasury and

legitimate business across the whole of England.

Here in the north-west, the Environment Agency has managed to

It's a huge problem, because waste is

something that we all generate and will be ongoing,

but there's a big criminal fraternity out there

Yes, I take it they do it because there is a lot of money

that's right, you know, the waste industry, 97%

of the industries that are legal and legitimate anbd we need those

because we do produce a lot of waste is a country, but then there is a

criminal fraternity that does get involved with this and will try to

illegal activities such as drugs and other crimes.

that you said how much money there is

Well, much if the cost of cleaning comes from the public purse,

of this waste is dumped in fields or industrial

And if we catch the perpetrators, we can take them to court and get

them to try and clear the case, but if they don't,

So we ask people to remain vigilant and if they are

because the criminal fraternity is looking for places that

People can report it on the Environment Agency hotline and we do

with it 24 hours a day. Six robbers who blew up cash

machines to steal huge amounts of money have been jailed

for a total of 92 years by a judge He said the gang were ruthless,

brazen and breathtakingly arrogant. They travelled the country attacking

ATMs, pumping gas into the machines Police investigating the murder

of a former restaurant manager in Salford say he died

after his neck was compressed, either by strangling

or being stamped on. The body of 61-year-old

Giuseppe Roncari was found at his Detectives are appealing

for information. CCTV pictures have been released

of a man police want to speak They show a man getting into a car

from which shots had just been fired on Lane End Road

in Burnage on Sunday. A cat has lost one of its legs

after being shot six times at close Despite his injuries

Jasper managed to limp The RSPCA said the two-year-old

was shot by an air gun and had Mental health campaigners

in Manchester claim they're being left without vital support

because of cost cutting. They say the health trust

providing their care is wrongly marking them down as improved,

leaving them vulnerable. The trust denies that, and says it's

working with the patients. This report from our

Health Correspondent Gill Dummigan. This brother and sister have lived

with his paranoid schitzophrenia In the past it's

left him in hospital. These days, it simply

leaves him terrified. I hear voices saying they are going

to kill me. How does it make you feel? Really scared.

Until late January, he had the support of a He has a support

worker and until late January, access to a psychiatric

nurse who he could turn to for advice and support.

But then, they say, the mental health trust decided he was well

It has a massive effect on our life because when he does have the

support, that means we can step back a little bit. We worry about him all

the time. Mental health services are often categorised by a step method.

Zero is the support of friends and family. Step five is inpatient

services and as individuals change, they can step up or step down to

different levels. Campaigners in Manchester say too many people are

being stepped down before they are ready, leaving them unsupported and

vulnerable. One group which represents people

with mental health needs say they've heard from dozens

who because they've been judged recovered have lost not only medical

but also financial support. Many of them have lost most of their

benefits. They used that for personal needs. When they can't do

that, they can't look after themselves. It's a vicious circles.

They go back into hospital or something drastic happens to them.

No ifs, no buts, no mental health cuts.

This isn't the first time Manchester's mental health services

This time last year they were forced to drop ?1.5 million pounds worth

of planned cuts after campaigners applied for a judicial review.

In January that trust, which covered the city of Manchester,

was taken over by the current trust, which covers the whole

that they were producing a "robust two-year transformation plan

to further improve mental health services" and that a "targeted

review" on step down had led to " some recommendations for change".

The two sides will be meeting next week to try to find a solution.

As the general election looms ever larger, it looks like we could be

about to see some political musical chairs in Liverpool.

The city's mayor Joe Anderson has declared that he wants to be an MP

and would like to stand for Labour in Liverpool Walton,

the seat currently held by Steve Rotherham.

Mr Rotherham is one of the candidates

hoping to become Merseyside's first metro mayor.

Our correspondent Clare Fallon is live for us tonight in Liverpool.

Clare, we've just heard that Steve Rotherham...

There are a lot of ifs and buts and maybes. I will try to make it

simple. Joe Anderson is politically a big figure in Liverpool and today

he said he would like to run to be the MP in the constituency of

Liverpool, Walton. Joe Anderson wanted to do a job swap. He is

currently the mayor of Liverpool. He wanted to become the newly created

metro Mayor of murdered side. When Labour picked its candidate for that

selection, Joe Anderson missed out and instead Labour picked Steve

Rotheram, who is currently the MP for Liverpool, Walton. Mr Rotherham

had until 6pm today to tell the Labour Party what he was going to do

with his current job as an MP. We are waiting to hear that decision.

What Joe Anderson has said today is that if Labour needs a new candidate

in that constituency, Joe Anderson would very much like that gig and

he's not the only person who would want that. Jeremy Corbyn's son would

also like to throw his hat into the ring, according to rumours. That

rumours was quickly quashed, Labour sources telling the BBC it was

nonsense. What is not nonsense is the timing of the Manchester, Gorton

by-election. We have confirmation. It was due to happen in two weeks,

but once the general election was called, that timing became

practically impossible. We now know the Manchester, Gorton by-election

will be held on the same day as the general election. They will go to

the polls on June the 8th. You explained that very well! We may

find out later on whether Steve Rotheram will stand. Again. As an

MP. It will all become clear.

The Conservative candidate in the election for the mayor

of the Liverpool City Region says he could be the link

between Merseyside and central Government.

Tony Caldeira launched his manifesto today.

He says if he became Metro Mayor, he would be prepared to work closely

Our city region is such a fantastic place. We have so many natural

advantages, we just need to sell ourselves and sell ourselves better.

If I'm the metro Mayor, I will be banging heads together and looking

to promote our fantastic region locally, nationally and

internationally. You can find a full list of all those standing on the

website. Still to come on North

West Tonight - why Old Trafford's United

in a desire to stay in Europe. An oasis of calm and fun in

Blackpool as we go behind the scenes of the refurbished dollars dream

house. And you'll see my interview later.

Five months ago - a few former footballers stepped forward

to say they were sexually abused as children.

Since then around 560 victims and more than 250 potential suspects

have been identified, and the numbers are still going up.

Steve Walters and Jason Dunford, who were among the first to speak

out, have set up a charity called the Offside Trust.

Their website went live today, and I began by asking them

whether they thought there was still a problem today?

The standard of safeguarding now is 1 million miles better. There are

still ways and means of these predators beating the system. The

Premiership have got the wealth to provide these services, but further

down the league and grassroots football, there's still a

significant shortfall of safeguarding. Which is worrying.

What can be done? Going forward, the offside trust has to work alongside

the football clubs. Football clubs are part of the gym unity, they do a

lot of work within the community. Mainly football with boys and girls.

Going forward, the offside trust needs recognition from the football

clubs to make sure the safeguard framework is in place to stop these

predatory people. Since you spoke out, people must have been coming to

you with their own stories. Yes, I've had over 70 people. We've been

through that. They feel safe that they will be believed. You're going

to be there to support them, you will listen. Even if it's a 30

minute phone call, we are there to listen and then we guide them to the

right channels. It's the bravest thing I've ever done, along with the

rest of the lads. At the same time, we've had fantastic support, not

only from our families, but from the general public. The general public

have been very supportive. When you think they are going to mimic you or

you think you're going to be the butt of jokes... They've appreciated

that this isn't easy for us to have done and this is why going forward

we are pleading with lads that are survivors to come and speak to us.

There is a way through this. As difficult as it is, it's better to

come to someone like yourselves and talk about it. You have to talk

about it. The worst thing you can do is keep it in your head. It's the

worst thing you can never do. The best thing to do is talk. The

support is there for you. Thank you both for coming in. Steve Walters

and Jason Dunford speaking earlier about the offside trust, which they

have set up. The website has gone live today.

The Dee marshes in Cheshire are home to a host of wildlife but wardens

are urgently appealing tor volunteer fire watchers after another

suspected arson attack on the reedbeds.

The marshes, a site of international importance, have suffered a number

of fires in recent years, killing birds and mammals

Thousands of birds visit this nature reserve. Many nest in the reeds and

rushes. It's here that volunteered Tim discovered the blaze. Turned

around and saw a plume of smoke so I came to investigate. I hoped it

hadn't spread to the main reed bed. Four years ago a large fire did

spread on the marshes. The RSPB want people to be aware of how important

the area is. It destroys the habitat and it's not just for these birds,

its species like harvest mice. A lot of harvest mice will have died

during the fire. It then destroys the habitat where the birds nest for

the breeding season. This is an internationally recognised site of

special interest and local people want it protected. It attracts a lot

of visitors. It attracts bird-watchers from far and wide.

It's clearly an important local resource. Education for the young

people is really, really important. You have to get them interested at a

young age and caring about the environment more. The RSPB are

asking the people to volunteer to deep a watch over the reed beds

during the mating season. It's really important to have volunteers,

to keep an eye on the site, to make sure this doesn't happen again.

We were yesterday at Esher Marsh and there were fires there.

Mindless. Football now and Manchester United

aim to book their place in the semi-finals of

the Europa League tonight. After a 1-1 draw in last week's

first leg in Belgium, the Reds host Anderlecht

at Old Trafford. It's a competition that has taken

on extra significance for Jose Mourinho's men,

with the winners guaranteed a spot Richard is outside

the ground for us. Can we expect Jose Mourinho

to pick his strongest team then? I think so. He does have a congested

fixture list to deal with. United go to Burnley on Sunday in the Premier

League and then the little matter of the magister derby a week today.

Because the winners of this competition get a spot in next

seasons Champions League you would think it would go to the top of his

priorities. United have an away goal from the first leg. But after that

match, Jose Mourinho was pretty critical of his strikers.

Fascinating to see who he opts for tonight. Zlatan Ibrahimovic came

late against Chelsea. He'll be chomping at the bit. Marcus Rashford

scored and starred in that match. Wayne Rooney is back tonight. Plenty

of options for Mourinho, who says this is whether you believe it gets

extremely serious. A big club like Manchester United, probably when you

start the Europa League, you don't have that high motivation. That's in

September, October the group phase. When you get to this level, I think

the motivation has to be very high. The draw for the last four is on

Friday. Assuming United get through, anyone they should fear? If we look

through the other ties taking place, the sick Tass, the Turkish champions

come against Lyon. -- Besiktas. Lyon are strong, but not exactly tearing

it up in France. Schalke, same in the Bundesliga, only mid-table.

Perhaps the interesting one Celta Vigo. Mid-table in La Liga, but they

have beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona this season. I think

United fans will be confident of beating all those teams and

confident of beating and elect a night. They have never won at Old

Trafford or in England. Kick-off is at 8:05pm. We'll bring you the

result tonight in the late bulletin. Can you imagine as a child being

told you're getting your own ice Well, that's what's

happened to seriously ill youngsters at a holiday

home in Blackpool thanks to the generosity of a Lancashire

lad turned millionaire. Ken Townsley,a former baggage

handler at Blackpool Airport, made a surpise donation

to Donna's Dream House. Today, amid lots of smiling faces,

the centre officially re-opened In the shadows of Blackpool Tower,

the dream that became a reality. critical it at a hospice, making and

over the dollars It offers respite for children who

are seriously ill. It even has its own sweet shop. Can I have an ice

cream? Thank you. From themed rooms to a special place for mum and dad.

Strangely enough, I was a very good friend of Donna. My son was involved

in an accident six years ago and they came to help very quickly and

helped us immensely in various ways. I stayed for quite awhile because

our house under construction and I had just had a serious operation on

my leg. We stayed here and we really enjoyed it. The refurbishment

doesn't come cheap. It's thanks to fundraisers and a generous donation

from Ken Townsley, who made his fortune after setting up a travel

agency. Blackpool is all about children and families. Anything I

can do to resurrect the childhood I knew in Blackpool in the 50s, I will

do everything possible. The revamped house will continue to give those

who need the most help precious memories. We are very fortunate and

I hope that continues because it's desperately needed. We don't get any

government funding. Not a single penny.

Lovely. So lovely. You can imagine them going in and seeing all those

sweet! I would love it.

Will we love the weather? I don't think so. It's very average. Nothing

wrong with average! Are you aspiring to average? I think

you've achieved it! It is very average over the next

couple of days. Lots of cloud cover today and as we head through the

next couple of days. You might catch some sunshine on Saturday, but as we

start next week, April is traditionally very showery. It has

been quite dry this week, but next week it looks like the showers will

return and we'll get a drop in temperatures. A drop in temperatures

this weekend as well. Some parts of the country reached 18 Celsius

today. A front coming through will bring a drop in ten majors and it

could feel quite chilly. Our weather watchers did capture one or two

spells of sunshine. This evening and overnight, plenty of cloud cover.

Every now and then it will thin and break. A very settled picture. The

breeze is relatively light, not much going on. Last night the rain was

heavier than anticipated. In terms of the numbers, the air is still

relatively mild. Eight or nine, maybe even 10 Celsius. Mild in the

morning. A great picture and very much like today. A lot of cloud

cover. Relatively light breeze coming from the Irish Saint. About

five miles per hour. We will see more drizzle tomorrow. They will not

turn up everywhere. Some places won't see any. There's a slightly

greater risk as you head into the afternoon of more organised rain. We

are not seeing the sunshine and that makes all the difference.

Temperatures realistically the same as today. 13 if you're lucky.

He is still pulling the dagger out of his heart! He knows I don't mean

it. We should point out. Lynn has pointed out that she thinks the

clock on the live the building was wrong because it said 6:55pm when we

were live. It might be average, but it's live!

Simulator. -- see you later.