05/01/2017 North West Tonight

The energy firm Cuadrilla has started work near Blackpool,

ready for test drilling for shale gas to take place.

Planning consent for the site at Little Plumpton was granted

All along there've been furious protests, and some of those

opponents returned as the process of preparing the site began.

Our social affairs correspondent Clare Fallon was there.

They call this "an important milestone" -

the company with permission to frack at this site

moving in and starting work, under the watchful eye of

Despite the protests, by the end of the year,

the energy firm Cuadrilla hopes to be pumping up shale gas

For now, though, it's first things first -

chainsaws and portaloos for the workers.

The first job is to construct the site.

That will take several months, about three months to complete,

and after that we'll start drilling the wells.

Clearly there are people who are still against this,

and we understand that, and equally we understand that they have

At every step on a very long journey to this point,

those opposed to fracking have made their feelings clear.

Two and a half years ago, this field became the so-called

"Nana Camp" as protesters made it home.

But after much legal toing and froing,

in October the Government said yes to fracking here,

overruling Lancashire County Council.

Cuadrilla, the company with permission to frack here,

say this is a significant day for them.

It is a significant day, but obviously it's a sad day for us,

because it means they have started work, which is something we didn't

Because this is the end of the battle for you, isn't it?

No, I think actually it's just the start of a new phase.

It's the start of a new phase in the battle.

This is just the start and this whole area will be completely

Now the beautiful Fylde as we know it, birds and animals

and trees and fields, that will be a thing of the past.

With a timetable for drilling by spring and fracking by autumn,

Cuadrilla promises what happens here will be safe,

heavily monitored, and will mean jobs.

This will be the most monitored oil and gas site that has ever

We'll be monitoring noise, traffic, air quality, lighting, etc, etc,

and not just Cuadrilla but the regulators

But even now, with work under way, those fighting fracking say

they have not given up and are still looking

Clare Fallon, BBC North West Tonight, Little Plumpton.

The North West Ambulance Service has more paramedic vacancies

than anywhere else, according to figures obtained under

There are more than 200 unfilled posts in the region.

Unions claim the service is now reaching crisis levels,

but the trust says it's created extra jobs and is

It's a difficult job with long hours and often volatile situations,

and in the North West there aren't enough paramedics doing it.

Unions say that's putting a huge strain on staff and the service.

The stresses and the pressures of the job have been increasing

year-on-year but pay has not increased with it,

so many paramedics, unfortunately, have been voting with their feet

At the same time, because it's become a less appealing

service to work for, the number of applicants coming

into the role has decreased, so it is now reaching crisis level.

Under figures obtained by the Labour Party,

there's a shortage of 204 paramedics in the North West,

The Ambulance Service says the number of vacancies should

It says it's used Government money to create extra posts

which it's had to fill, and that new rules that paramedics

must have higher levels of training have made it harder to recruit,

but it's adamant it's tackling the shortfall.

We are trying to put on additional university places

We are looking at international recruitment, where we certainly

recruit some paramedics from Finland and Poland.

We have recruited over 50 staff from there.

There is another 24 staff to be recruited before the end of March,

News of paramedic shortages come on top of recent figures from

NHS England showing ambulances in the North West aren't

responding to some of the most critical patients

but the Ambulance Service is deeply reliant on what the rest

Ambulances have waited up to ten hours to hand patients over

in Southport because the hospital was full, tying up the fewer

The Department of Health says it's recruited over 2,000 more paramedics

nationally and announced a new pay deal to reduce pressure on services,

but unions say mounting strain on a cash-strapped NHS can only mean

more pressure for those on the front line.

Thorn Cross Open Prison in Warrington has been praised

for providing inmates with good training and education and helping

A report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons says staff should be

congratulated for making the jail safe and keeping the number

A transgender woman from Merseyside, being held at a male prison,

Jenny Swift from Seaforth in Sefton was on remand at Doncaster Prison

She was found unresponsive in her cell on December 30

An independent investigation will be carried out by the Prisons

Supermarket chain Lidl is creating 500 jobs at a major

The company says million of pounds will be invested into the site,

A planning application will be submitted later this year.

New plans are being considered to allow television cameras

to film inside the Isle of Man's Parliament, the Tynwald.

A group of politicians has recommended the rules

A decision will be made later this month.

We heard earlier about the work starting to test-frack

Another controversial energy scheme is also reaching a critical point.

Tomorrow is the final day of consultation on plans to build

a line of pylons on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

Campaigners want the power cables hidden underground,

but National Grid says any changes would make our electricity

You don't get better days than this in the Lake District,

but this view out to Duddon Estuary here could be about to change.

The National Grid wants to build a line of pylons here,

These are some of the people trying to stop it.

Annette Carmichael joined friends and neighbours

in Broughton-in-Furness this morning to protest at the plans.

She runs a small B with a view of the estuary.

We are going to have pylons at least twice the height,

with really thick cables, cutting across the view.

Do you think that would put people off visiting the area?

I have been speaking to guests of my own who have come from the UK,

from Europe and further afield, like the States and Australia,

and they are absolutely horrified by the idea of this sort of thing

The pylons will carry electricity from a new nuclear power

The National Grid has already made concessions -

a 14.5-mile stretch along the coast is to be buried

and there is to be a 13-mile tunnel under Morecambe Bay,

But that doesn't go far enough for an organisation dedicated

So, you are going to have two very large pylons sat

So this is Broughton, where we were. This is Broughton, yes.

But it's here in Broughton that is going to see these pylons.

You are Friends Of The Lake District, and as you've

shown me on the map, this route actually goes outside

The route is outside the Lake District National Park

but in places it is six metres outside the National Park.

So it is visible and will affect the views.

The consultation period for these plans ends tomorrow

and there is little sign of the National Grid

They say, to make these plans more environmentally friendly would be

This project isn't paid for by the National Grid,

it is paid for by all of us through our electricity bills,

so we have got to strike a balance between protecting those

environments and keeping energy bills affordable

If the plans are approved by the Government,

Stuart Flinders, BBC North West tonight, Cumbria.

From the Beatles via Northern Soul to the Stone Roses,

the North West has always influenced culture and fashion.

Now the Open Eye photography gallery in Liverpool is marking its 40th

anniversary with an exhibition celebrating the North's impact

It features the videos, photos, music and clothes

with which the region has spread its influence.

Now let's take a look at the weather.

Someone always fashionable even if the weather is not.

Good evening. Beautiful skies over Good evening. Beautiful skies over

the Lake District today, but beautiful skies everywhere. It was

rather cold. Look at this. This photograph was at the Leeds

Liverpool Canal this morning. Frozen over, as you can see. Tomorrow it is

a different type of day completely. Milder but I'm afraid... There is

always... Expect a lot of rain. Changes already happening tonight.

Started with frost and clear skies but heading towards clouds and rain

over the Isle of Man by dawn. Probably across parts of Cumbria as

well and the wind picking up. Temperature is looking better than

they did last night. Tomorrow morning it is a cloudy start. The

rain beginning to push in is going to be heavy on and off through the

morning and into the afternoon, with wind picking up. Not much sunshine

tomorrow but a lot of rainfall on and off. Better looking

temperatures. Although the rain, it tempers the temperatures. Maybe

double-figure temperatures actually over the Isle of Man. Tomorrow

night, that rain pushes away, leaving behind a lot of warm

patches. A dry night and my other night. A lot of fog around as you

can see. Temperatures as high as seven Celsius. On Saturday it is

cloudy and still mild. High-pressure sticking around on Sunday but we

will see rain on Monday. The outlook with still in double

creeping up by a notch or two, 10, maybe nine Celsius. Here is Louise

with the national picture. Won't it cold and frosty this

morning? The coldest night of the winter so far in