:00:13. > :00:15.The energy firm Cuadrilla has started work near Blackpool,
:00:16. > :00:19.ready for test drilling for shale gas to take place.
:00:20. > :00:21.Planning consent for the site at Little Plumpton was granted
:00:22. > :00:27.All along there've been furious protests, and some of those
:00:28. > :00:30.opponents returned as the process of preparing the site began.
:00:31. > :00:36.Our social affairs correspondent Clare Fallon was there.
:00:37. > :00:38.They call this "an important milestone" -
:00:39. > :00:40.the company with permission to frack at this site
:00:41. > :00:44.moving in and starting work, under the watchful eye of
:00:45. > :00:51.Despite the protests, by the end of the year,
:00:52. > :00:54.the energy firm Cuadrilla hopes to be pumping up shale gas
:00:55. > :00:59.For now, though, it's first things first -
:01:00. > :01:03.chainsaws and portaloos for the workers.
:01:04. > :01:05.The first job is to construct the site.
:01:06. > :01:09.That will take several months, about three months to complete,
:01:10. > :01:10.and after that we'll start drilling the wells.
:01:11. > :01:13.Clearly there are people who are still against this,
:01:14. > :01:16.and we understand that, and equally we understand that they have
:01:17. > :01:21.At every step on a very long journey to this point,
:01:22. > :01:24.those opposed to fracking have made their feelings clear.
:01:25. > :01:27.Two and a half years ago, this field became the so-called
:01:28. > :01:31."Nana Camp" as protesters made it home.
:01:32. > :01:33.But after much legal toing and froing,
:01:34. > :01:35.in October the Government said yes to fracking here,
:01:36. > :01:39.overruling Lancashire County Council.
:01:40. > :01:42.Cuadrilla, the company with permission to frack here,
:01:43. > :01:45.say this is a significant day for them.
:01:46. > :01:50.It is a significant day, but obviously it's a sad day for us,
:01:51. > :01:53.because it means they have started work, which is something we didn't
:01:54. > :02:00.Because this is the end of the battle for you, isn't it?
:02:01. > :02:03.No, I think actually it's just the start of a new phase.
:02:04. > :02:05.It's the start of a new phase in the battle.
:02:06. > :02:08.This is just the start and this whole area will be completely
:02:09. > :02:12.Now the beautiful Fylde as we know it, birds and animals
:02:13. > :02:15.and trees and fields, that will be a thing of the past.
:02:16. > :02:18.With a timetable for drilling by spring and fracking by autumn,
:02:19. > :02:19.Cuadrilla promises what happens here will be safe,
:02:20. > :02:24.heavily monitored, and will mean jobs.
:02:25. > :02:27.This will be the most monitored oil and gas site that has ever
:02:28. > :02:31.We'll be monitoring noise, traffic, air quality, lighting, etc, etc,
:02:32. > :02:33.and not just Cuadrilla but the regulators
:02:34. > :02:39.But even now, with work under way, those fighting fracking say
:02:40. > :02:43.they have not given up and are still looking
:02:44. > :02:51.Clare Fallon, BBC North West Tonight, Little Plumpton.
:02:52. > :02:53.The North West Ambulance Service has more paramedic vacancies
:02:54. > :02:56.than anywhere else, according to figures obtained under
:02:57. > :03:01.There are more than 200 unfilled posts in the region.
:03:02. > :03:04.Unions claim the service is now reaching crisis levels,
:03:05. > :03:07.but the trust says it's created extra jobs and is
:03:08. > :03:17.It's a difficult job with long hours and often volatile situations,
:03:18. > :03:21.and in the North West there aren't enough paramedics doing it.
:03:22. > :03:25.Unions say that's putting a huge strain on staff and the service.
:03:26. > :03:28.The stresses and the pressures of the job have been increasing
:03:29. > :03:30.year-on-year but pay has not increased with it,
:03:31. > :03:32.so many paramedics, unfortunately, have been voting with their feet
:03:33. > :03:35.At the same time, because it's become a less appealing
:03:36. > :03:38.service to work for, the number of applicants coming
:03:39. > :03:42.into the role has decreased, so it is now reaching crisis level.
:03:43. > :03:44.Under figures obtained by the Labour Party,
:03:45. > :03:47.there's a shortage of 204 paramedics in the North West,
:03:48. > :03:54.The Ambulance Service says the number of vacancies should
:03:55. > :03:59.It says it's used Government money to create extra posts
:04:00. > :04:02.which it's had to fill, and that new rules that paramedics
:04:03. > :04:06.must have higher levels of training have made it harder to recruit,
:04:07. > :04:09.but it's adamant it's tackling the shortfall.
:04:10. > :04:11.We are trying to put on additional university places
:04:12. > :04:15.We are looking at international recruitment, where we certainly
:04:16. > :04:17.recruit some paramedics from Finland and Poland.
:04:18. > :04:21.We have recruited over 50 staff from there.
:04:22. > :04:24.There is another 24 staff to be recruited before the end of March,
:04:25. > :04:29.News of paramedic shortages come on top of recent figures from
:04:30. > :04:33.NHS England showing ambulances in the North West aren't
:04:34. > :04:37.responding to some of the most critical patients
:04:38. > :04:42.but the Ambulance Service is deeply reliant on what the rest
:04:43. > :04:47.Ambulances have waited up to ten hours to hand patients over
:04:48. > :04:49.in Southport because the hospital was full, tying up the fewer
:04:50. > :04:54.The Department of Health says it's recruited over 2,000 more paramedics
:04:55. > :04:57.nationally and announced a new pay deal to reduce pressure on services,
:04:58. > :05:02.but unions say mounting strain on a cash-strapped NHS can only mean
:05:03. > :05:04.more pressure for those on the front line.
:05:05. > :05:11.Thorn Cross Open Prison in Warrington has been praised
:05:12. > :05:14.for providing inmates with good training and education and helping
:05:15. > :05:20.A report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons says staff should be
:05:21. > :05:23.congratulated for making the jail safe and keeping the number
:05:24. > :05:30.A transgender woman from Merseyside, being held at a male prison,
:05:31. > :05:34.Jenny Swift from Seaforth in Sefton was on remand at Doncaster Prison
:05:35. > :05:40.She was found unresponsive in her cell on December 30
:05:41. > :05:44.An independent investigation will be carried out by the Prisons
:05:45. > :05:51.Supermarket chain Lidl is creating 500 jobs at a major
:05:52. > :05:56.The company says million of pounds will be invested into the site,
:05:57. > :06:02.A planning application will be submitted later this year.
:06:03. > :06:05.New plans are being considered to allow television cameras
:06:06. > :06:07.to film inside the Isle of Man's Parliament, the Tynwald.
:06:08. > :06:10.A group of politicians has recommended the rules
:06:11. > :06:16.A decision will be made later this month.
:06:17. > :06:18.We heard earlier about the work starting to test-frack
:06:19. > :06:23.Another controversial energy scheme is also reaching a critical point.
:06:24. > :06:27.Tomorrow is the final day of consultation on plans to build
:06:28. > :06:31.a line of pylons on the edge of the Lake District National Park.
:06:32. > :06:33.Campaigners want the power cables hidden underground,
:06:34. > :06:37.but National Grid says any changes would make our electricity
:06:38. > :06:45.You don't get better days than this in the Lake District,
:06:46. > :06:48.but this view out to Duddon Estuary here could be about to change.
:06:49. > :06:52.The National Grid wants to build a line of pylons here,
:06:53. > :06:58.These are some of the people trying to stop it.
:06:59. > :07:00.Annette Carmichael joined friends and neighbours
:07:01. > :07:04.in Broughton-in-Furness this morning to protest at the plans.
:07:05. > :07:07.She runs a small B with a view of the estuary.
:07:08. > :07:10.We are going to have pylons at least twice the height,
:07:11. > :07:12.with really thick cables, cutting across the view.
:07:13. > :07:15.Do you think that would put people off visiting the area?
:07:16. > :07:20.I have been speaking to guests of my own who have come from the UK,
:07:21. > :07:22.from Europe and further afield, like the States and Australia,
:07:23. > :07:25.and they are absolutely horrified by the idea of this sort of thing
:07:26. > :07:31.The pylons will carry electricity from a new nuclear power
:07:32. > :07:36.The National Grid has already made concessions -
:07:37. > :07:39.a 14.5-mile stretch along the coast is to be buried
:07:40. > :07:45.and there is to be a 13-mile tunnel under Morecambe Bay,
:07:46. > :07:54.But that doesn't go far enough for an organisation dedicated
:07:55. > :08:00.So, you are going to have two very large pylons sat
:08:01. > :08:04.So this is Broughton, where we were. This is Broughton, yes.
:08:05. > :08:07.But it's here in Broughton that is going to see these pylons.
:08:08. > :08:09.You are Friends Of The Lake District, and as you've
:08:10. > :08:11.shown me on the map, this route actually goes outside
:08:12. > :08:15.The route is outside the Lake District National Park
:08:16. > :08:17.but in places it is six metres outside the National Park.
:08:18. > :08:20.So it is visible and will affect the views.
:08:21. > :08:25.The consultation period for these plans ends tomorrow
:08:26. > :08:28.and there is little sign of the National Grid
:08:29. > :08:32.They say, to make these plans more environmentally friendly would be
:08:33. > :08:39.This project isn't paid for by the National Grid,
:08:40. > :08:42.it is paid for by all of us through our electricity bills,
:08:43. > :08:44.so we have got to strike a balance between protecting those
:08:45. > :08:46.environments and keeping energy bills affordable
:08:47. > :08:51.If the plans are approved by the Government,
:08:52. > :09:04.Stuart Flinders, BBC North West tonight, Cumbria.
:09:05. > :09:09.From the Beatles via Northern Soul to the Stone Roses,
:09:10. > :09:11.the North West has always influenced culture and fashion.
:09:12. > :09:14.Now the Open Eye photography gallery in Liverpool is marking its 40th
:09:15. > :09:16.anniversary with an exhibition celebrating the North's impact
:09:17. > :09:19.It features the videos, photos, music and clothes
:09:20. > :09:21.with which the region has spread its influence.
:09:22. > :09:30.Now let's take a look at the weather.
:09:31. > :09:35.Someone always fashionable even if the weather is not.
:09:36. > :09:39.Good evening. Beautiful skies over Good evening. Beautiful skies over
:09:40. > :09:45.the Lake District today, but beautiful skies everywhere. It was
:09:46. > :09:48.rather cold. Look at this. This photograph was at the Leeds
:09:49. > :09:55.Liverpool Canal this morning. Frozen over, as you can see. Tomorrow it is
:09:56. > :10:03.a different type of day completely. Milder but I'm afraid... There is
:10:04. > :10:06.always... Expect a lot of rain. Changes already happening tonight.
:10:07. > :10:11.Started with frost and clear skies but heading towards clouds and rain
:10:12. > :10:14.over the Isle of Man by dawn. Probably across parts of Cumbria as
:10:15. > :10:18.well and the wind picking up. Temperature is looking better than
:10:19. > :10:22.they did last night. Tomorrow morning it is a cloudy start. The
:10:23. > :10:25.rain beginning to push in is going to be heavy on and off through the
:10:26. > :10:31.morning and into the afternoon, with wind picking up. Not much sunshine
:10:32. > :10:35.tomorrow but a lot of rainfall on and off. Better looking
:10:36. > :10:39.temperatures. Although the rain, it tempers the temperatures. Maybe
:10:40. > :10:43.double-figure temperatures actually over the Isle of Man. Tomorrow
:10:44. > :10:48.night, that rain pushes away, leaving behind a lot of warm
:10:49. > :10:53.patches. A dry night and my other night. A lot of fog around as you
:10:54. > :10:56.can see. Temperatures as high as seven Celsius. On Saturday it is
:10:57. > :11:02.cloudy and still mild. High-pressure sticking around on Sunday but we
:11:03. > :11:02.will see rain on Monday. The outlook with still in double
:11:03. > :11:04.creeping up by a notch or two, 10, maybe nine Celsius. Here is Louise
:11:05. > :11:17.with the national picture. Won't it cold and frosty this
:11:18. > :11:18.morning? The coldest night of the winter so far in