25/04/2017 North West Tonight

Good evening, welcome to NorthWest Tonight.

A man of 95 who admitted trying to bludgeon his wife to death,

Denver Beddows told police he did it because she was afraid of being

Also tonight, were people turning Fairbanks. 124,000 received supplies

in the region last year. -- 170 4000. It can be a bit embarrassing.

I'm at the River Irwell where Kei lots of pollution in three weeks

have devastated the water, setting back wildlife by three years. And

when hundreds of years in the making. From a tiny hamlet to a

major seaport, we celebrate the history of Barrow.

A man of 95 who admitted trying to bludgeon his wife to death,

Denver Beddows told police he did it because she was afraid of being

Today a judge said the pensioner should not face

an immediate prison term because this had been

Our chief reporter, Dave Guest, is at Liverpool Crown Court and,

Dave, this was a very moving story wasn't it?

It was indeed. This is the story of a devoted couple, they have been

devoted for more than 65 years. A fiercely independent couple who'd

refused offers of help from social services because they wanted to look

after one another. But that became increasingly hard

as 88-year-old Olive's mental She became obsessed with the notion

she'd been forced into care. She begged her husband to kill her

rather than let that happen. But today a judge here decided

the frail pensioner should He emerged from court

looking bewildered. He'd admitted trying

to beat his beloved wife, Olive, But a judge had decided

he could now go home. Denver and Olive were totally

devoted to one another. Her mental health deteriorated

and he suffered depression. Olive became convinced

she would be forced into a hospital. She begged her husband

to take her life. Liverpool Crown Court was told that

in February, at their home in Warrington,

he tried to do that He immediately phoned his son

to say what he had done. He admitted attempted

murder and could have expected a jail term

when he faced a judge in Liverpool. had recovered from her

injuries and was now living happily in the place where she

was being cared for. She'd forgiven her husband

and wanted them to be reunited. Judge Clement Goldstone told

Mr Beddows, "That is indeed However, he said he had

decided an immediate prison term was not appropriate,

instead, suspending a two-year Did Mr Beddows have anything to say

as he left court today? Now, he left it without seeing

anything, but this afternoon, the family issued a statement saying,

that's the past 12 months have been particularly difficult for them as

they have tried to cope with her mother's mental health problems.

Problems at a doctrine fully diagnose as yet, they say. They are

now supporting their mum and dad and have asked for privacy so that they

can get on with coming to terms with the situation they face. Meanwhile,

the police issued a statement this afternoon in which they expressed

their sadness about this case and said they hoped this family would be

able to move on and pit behind the events of this heartbreaking day in

February 20 17. Next tonight, the use of foodbanks

across the North West is continuing to rise, according to

new figures released today. The Trussell Trust says 14,000 more

people turned to food banks for help Greater Manchester saw the biggest

rise in the use of foodbanks with 8,000 more three day food packs

given out - a total And people in Merseyside were issued

with the most emergency supplies - But what could be causing the rise

in the use of foodbanks? Around a decade ago,

food banks were hardly heard of. Now they're needed more than ever -

particularly in our region They are under a lot of pressure

because there has been an increase in the need for food banks. Even

hard-working families, people that aren't on benefits. People are

really struggling. They have to use a food bank but they don't want

anyone to know about it. It can be a bit embarrassing, as well.

Tori was struggling when she went to her local food bank at page Moss

Her life has turned around after she ended up

I went to the interview and felt really good about it and when I got

the phone call I was like, yes! I was so happy. And I have made loads

of good friends. Everyone is really good there, they are helping me out,

everyone has each other's back. It is great to help other people.

Now Tori helps others suffering from food poverty in Merseyside,

one of the areas most in need of foodbanks.

It's fantastic work what they do. I think these people deserve a medal.

This full bank has been going for five years. The referrals aren't

slowing down. The Knowsley Foodbank is a franchise

of the Trussell Trust charity - and they say the implementation

of a new benefits system, Universal Credit, is the main

catalyst for the rise in people The impact of universal credit, the

bedroom tax, things like that, I think they are trying to stop

people's benefit for any reason, people on a low-wage, minimum wage,

what do they do? If they need tyres, what do they do, pick tyres on the

car or buy food? These are the choices people face on a day-to-day

basis. In a statement the Deparment

for Work Pensions has for food bank use are complex,

so can't be linked to any one issue. "There are now record

numbers of people in work, and under Universal Credit people

are moving into work faster and staying in work longer

than under the old system." Whatever the reasons,

it seems foodbanks are a lifeline I don't know where I would be now if

it wasn't for the feedback. The family of a former

Royal Navy officer - who was killed as he tried

to stop his car being stolen in Manchester -

have described him as the most Mike Samwell was found

with serious injuries outside his house in Chorlton

early on Sunday. In a statement, his family said

they'd been deeply touched A 21-year-old man -

who was being questioned on suspicion of murder -

has been released on bail. A group of squatters climbed onto

the roof of a building after being told to leave.

Police investigating the attempted rape of a dog walker in Salford -

who had a knife held to her throat - have released an image of a man

The woman, who's in her 30s, managed to fight off the attacker

on waste land in Walkden on Sunday evening.

It's understood the former Government minister -

and Wirral West MP - Esther McVey has been short listed

to stand for election in Tatton to succeed George Osborne.

She lost her seat at the last general election.

Tatton Conservatives will choose their candidate tomorrow.

Karen Danczuk, the former wife of Rochdale MP

Mrs Danczuk, who became famous for posting 'selfies' on social

media, is hoping to be chosen to stand for Labour in the marginal

People learnt who I were, and it has really helped immensely.

But at the same time, I don't want to be known

I was a councillor, I've been a businesswoman, I'm a mum,

Next week a little bit of history will be made -

Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region will elect

We heard from some of the candidates standing

Tonight, Kevin Fitzpatrick continues his journey

In just over a week, the people of the Liverpool city

region will get the chance to choose their first

The mayor will have significant powers over transport,

which could have cue transform the lives

Buses, tunnels, ferries, and reducing congestion.

I want something that is a true reflection

of what they have in London, as the Oyster card.

I want us to be able to use a walrus card, to get on a bus

to get on a train, you can top it up and go through the tunnel and

eventually have those Mersey tunnels free for users.

I'd be looking to encourage the carbon technology in

the city, looking to develop a circular

economy where resources are

used better and more efficiently so we have less waste in the city

region, huge opportunities, huge possibilities, and I think

something really positive for the city region.

People have been petitioning to get the tunnels free for so long,

I want to be the mayor that does that.

Or at least, have a ?10 the four residents of

For commuters, it is a big issue, and they think there is plenty to

I think the trains still need improving, because there are still

You need a plan B in place, like the ferry.

They had engine problems with this last week,

so then you come to get the ferry, it's not on.

So you're then on a replace the bus, but if they haven't

organised the replacement bus in time, the end up late for work.

The ferry is quite cheap in comparison,

for a monthly pass, or an annual pass,

it's really good value for

But certainly, the buses I found more expensive than that.

The city region mayor will be in charge of all transport,

That means private transport, said the

Mersey Mayor will decide the level of tolls

for the Mersey tunnels, he

or she will decide whether we have private or public owned bus

Really, basically, every transport response will table for

He or she will be all-powerful in that respect.

All the candidates say they are the best person to steer

Charting the right course on transport will be among the first

big tests for whoever is elected mayor.

And we'll hear from the Greater Manchester candidates

For a full list of all those standing -

in both the Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region Mayoral

Barrow celebrates the 150th anniversary of its stocks.

And on target for promotion. The Blackpool football star is showing

off their talent to local schoolchildren.

The recovery of the River Irwell has been one of the biggest

environmental success stories of the last 30 years.

But a stretch from Rawtenstall to Manchester city centre

has been devastated by two pollution outbreaks in the last three weeks.

Countless fish and insects have died.

Environmentalists say it will take years for the ecosystem to recover.

It looks pristine and picturesque, the water

But this section of the Irwell at Burrs Country Park in Bury has

White icebergs of foam were discovered in the river

Just three weeks after what's believed to have been pesticide

Mike Duddy is from the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust.

When I started thinking about this, what are the moron tips these down

the drain? It is wiped out in high proportion of invertebrates in the

river, the second one wiped out whatever was left. This is a tray of

invertebrates, a sample taken from just to miles away, unaffected. It

is teeming with life. And this is the sample we took from the River

right behind us, not a single living thing left. No exaggeration.

the first polluted area, finding hundreds of dead

The water was littered with thousands, not exaggerating, of dead

crayfish. The river is clear, you can see the bottom, and there is

just dead animals everywhere. Because there are no insects in the

water here, there are no flies, no birds, every level of the ecosystem

has been affected. polluted by industrial waste

in the Industrial Revolution. But over the last 30 years,

it's been transformed, This latest pollution

is a massive setback. These invertebrates have a two-year

life cycle, so it will take a minimum of three years for the river

to get back to how it used to be. -- CE life cycle.

investigating both incidents and has taken samples for analysis.

It's asking for anyone with information to come forward

so that those who've destroyed this beautiful waterway

Four Sale Sharks players have been named in the tour of Argentina.

The inclusion of Denny Solomona has raised a few eyebrows

But there's also a call up for twins Tom and Ben Curry with coach

Eddie Jones saying that he's looking forward to working out

Denny Solomona controversialy switches codes in December,

to win his first Rugby union cap after being included in a 31 man

squad for the tour of Argentina He's one of four Sales Sharks players

to be named for the two test tour in June.

My mum text me, think graduation, I say, what are you on about? --

saying congratulations. Denny Solomona Wing joining him

on the plane to South America will be Tom and Ben Curry -

they'll l be looking to claim a record of their own.no

identical pair of twins have ever played for

the national side before. Even Head Coach Eddie Jones may have

trouble separating hem.. It's a really exciting challenge,

fiercely. -- obviously. I'm really looking forward to working with

them. The younger players in the new look

squad could yet take the team to a new level -

centre Sam James is another who's come through the Academy at Sale

Sharks. Sale Sharks has a way

of producing a certain kind of player according to the England

set up - they''ll be aiming to show After a rapid decline from the top

flight to the bottom tier, things are finally starting to look

up for Blackpool Football Club. The Seasiders are pushing

for promotion via the League two play-offs despite ongoing disputes

between fans and the club's owners. With the tide finally be turning for

Blackpool? In just five years Blackpool fell

from the top of tree, in the Premier League,

to the bottom tier. Now though there are signs the club

could be heading back With two games left the Seasiders

are in the play offs. The players have been tremendous

this year. We brought the right players in, made them better, we're

not going to rest on what we have done and what we have achieved so

far, we are going to keep pushing and keep working hard.

Today manager and captain were visiting South Shore Academy

By Paul's commuter transport with thousands of people in the community

last year. The four times a week they are here. It's really nice that

they engage in the community and not just there to play football, because

of easily some people don't really like football.

There hasn't been much of a community spirit between fans

Who is your favourite player? We have to do our bit. We are trying on

the pitch and the survey 's activities of the page that can help

and we are trying to encourage more people to come back into the stadium

and watch the game. We are in good form. Momentum is a big word,

especially talking about the play-off, soulfully we will do the

job and get into the play-offs and then the momentum, fingers crossed,

will pit is in good stead. Getting out of this league will be

one almighty scramble. But Blackpool's end goal

is at least in sight. It would be great if they could do

it. After all the problems they have had, the infighting and the fans

being upset, if they could get promotion...

And it just shows how well he has done with them, for any money. And

if you help but Rovers are doing now, my team, they will do well to

stay in the championship. It is going to be a crucial few weeks of

luxury football. -- Lancashire football.

Now, it grew from a tiny rural hamlet into a huge industrial town,

famous around the world for his iron and steel and ships. We are talking,

of course, about Barrow in Furness in Cumbria. It is celebrating its

hundred and 50th anniversary of the port, which helped fuel its historic

growth. For a century and a half,

Barrow's heartbeat has been dictated These docks, originally

designed for the export of local iron

ore, fuelled much more. The industries that

would shape Barrow - iron ore, steelworks and,

most famously, shipbuilding. The Illustrious will be a sister

ship to the Ark Royal, and she is the largest vessel of any kind ever

to be launched from a Barrow yard. She stands today 16,000

tonnes of steel. It really wouldn't be the town

that you see today, the thriving shipbuilding town,

if the docks system hadn't been put in place by the founding fathers

of the town. All the founding fathers had to do

was fill the gap between creating

Devonshire dock and Buccleuch dock. The Ramsden and Cavendish docks

would be added later. Well, I suppose you might say this

is where it all began. In September 1867,

when Barrow's first block, the Devonshire dock, opened,

this was the original entrance. But the shipyard would be

and still is a key industry. Oriana, 40,000 tonnes,

biggest liner ever built in England, will eventually start

a new era in Pacific ocean travel. Terry was an apprentice in the

shipyard in 1960. We had two Chilean destroyers

in the dock, or frigates, a conventional submarine,

and on Trafalgar Day 1960, the Queen launched the dreadnought,

the first nuclear submarine. May God bless her and

all who serve in her. You can imagine, it was quite busy.

Very busy, in fact. Today, the shipyard

continues to employ thousands, designing

and building the most advanced submarines in the world,

it and the port mutually dependent. It dominates in so many ways,

it dominates the skyline from all the vantage points

around the town, dominates in employment terms and economy,

but the port is very key to the work that

the shipyard does. The future appears set fair,

with the port playing a key role in serving the offshore energy

industry, the nuclear industry and No matter who you are,

you depend on the People earn money and they

spend it in the town. If we don't have that,

well, we are snookered. Rugby league now. The champions draw

is made as we speak, it has just been made, we have redrawn now.

That has just come in now. Hot off the press.

But someone that does extremely well is Diane. Reason we have seen snow

in some parts, haven't we? Four seasons in one day. Good

evening. We told you it would be very cold and it would be very raw,

and that is exactly what it turned out to be. Watch the wind arrows,

tomorrow, they are lighter and over the next few days will start to

change direction, so things will become less cold do Thursday and

Friday. Over the weekend, we are still not entirely confident about

what will happen, and of course, we have a bank holiday this weekend. It

looks like things will be milder, that is the important thing. As for

rain, and excite the tail end of Sunday could bring some rain. Some

fantastic shot of hail, CD 20p piece in comparison to hail. The size of

the hail. If you're the cat this, the clouds seem to be -- shower soon

to be moving away, this is how it turned out. Showers hoarding up of

the afternoon, and is an irreverent. Not just rain, we have had hail

reported. As you go through the night, they will die away, by nine

or ten o'clock, the picture will be drier. And as clear skies, that is

where the temperature is will start to really fall down. At about 1% of

the moon visible tonight, so you can see more of the sky. If you are

stargazing, it will be really cold. Temperatures down to to in town and

city, rural, -2 minus three. Soak could be some frost. More blue sky

tomorrow, the sun up at 540, so almost 15 hours of daylight.

Tomorrow, I think you'll see more in the way of sunshine. The showers are

still in the mix, but less frequent and widespread. You can see them

moving into the Pennine areas, running down the spine of the

country, towards the Peak District as well. But for most of us, it

doesn't look too bad. Remember, the wind is cold and raw, so we are

talking about a wind of 15 miles an hour just about anywhere really.

Fairly gusty, chilly, raw, the numbers on the chart your maximum

temperatures but I think with the wind chill, it will feel colder than

that. If you stay away from the showers, you will do pretty well. In

terms of tomorrow night, again, chilly but not as bad. Through the

next couple of days, the high-pressure successor to itself,

change in wind direction, but temperatures will creep back up.

Somebody on twitter has said, they're questioning your type

choice. -- tie choice. He thinks he should have -- I should have vetted

it first. Though he does say he's not a sartorial benchmark. But we

always like your feedback. Bank for watching, good night.