Structural damage 'worse than expected' at Middlesbrough Railway Station

Structural damage at Middlesbrough’s railway station is worse than first expected, it has been revealed.

Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald met today with senior officials from Network Rail to discuss the latest developments surrounding the problems at Middlesbrough station.

He said: “I have had some very productive discussions with Network Rail and sadly the structural problems are even more serious than first feared, and there is not going to be a quick fix.

“The good news is that the long term benefits of a major redevelopment will be positive for all who use the station.”

Part of the front car park has been closed for several months, causing inconvenience for passengers.

The problem is that this car park, which rises above Zetland Road, has structurally failed over the arches, and it cannot support its own weight.

This in turn has led to potholes appearing on the surface.

Mr McDonald continued: “While the structural deterioration is obviously unwelcome, it does, in the longer term, present huge development opportunities, and I am pleased at the response of Network Rail thus far.

“They are already under way with their action plan.

“Architects, structural engineers and designers are already retained and I look forward to seeing the plans unfold over the coming months.”

Members of the public will be able to attend a “meet the manager” event on Tuesday between 4.30pm and 6pm at the station with Network Rail and TPE.

They will be given the opportunity to discuss the issues and ask questions, but in the meanwhile Mr McDonald is urging Teessiders to be patient with the development.

He said: “We are going to have to be patient as a project of this size is going to take some time to come to fruition, but we will see a fully restored entrance to our railway station and the creation of first class commercial premises.”

Nobody from Network Rail was available for comment.

X Factor singer returns to TV screens on Celebrity Juice

Stockton singer Bre Musiq returned to the ITV studios to appear on comedy panel show Celebrity Juice.

The 24-year-old, who made it to the X Factor’s live Wembley round this year but missed out on going to judges’ houses, was asked to appear on Keith Lemon’s show alongside two other hopefuls who were not chosen by mentor Mel B.

Bre, and fellow singers Charlie Brown and Ben Quinlan, became judges on the ITV2 programme, which was aired on Thursday night, in a sketch where they had to judge Mel B and Tulisa Contostavlos on whether they had “the normal factor”.

The three musicians judged the two women on their ability to remain calm and polite as they answered phones in a mock call centre and received abuse from fake callers, all played by Keith Lemon.

Bre, who lives with his mum Barbara McCarthy, 44, a nurse at James Cook University Hospital, and his twin brother and sister Ashley and Ashlyn, nine, near Portrack Lane, in Stockton, said: “I was supposed to perform at the Middlesbrough College show with Kerianne on Wednesday but I had to call that off. I couldn’t pass up such a good opportunity. They called on Tuesday, I travelled down to London and we filmed the next day. It’s more exposure for me so I wanted to do it. I’m writing a lot of music at the minute and have been busy in the studio.

“Mel B was so surprised to see us on the show and it was good to see her. She’s not actually as scary as she comes across on TV; she’s actually really nice.

“It was great fun filming it. Keith Lemon’s exactly how he is on TV; it was really funny.”

If you missed the show, you can still see it on ITV Player online.

NHS staff across Teesside are going on strike on Monday for 'fair pay'

NHS staff are going on strike on Monday in a bid to call for “fair pay”.

From nurses to paramedics, healthcare assistants to porters, UNISON members working in the NHS will be striking from 7am to 11am.

The union represents 30,000 health workers in the region and the “four-hour strike is in recognition of how difficult it is for staff in the NHS to go on strike”, a spokesman said.

From Tuesday to Friday, all UNISON members will also be “taking their breaks” - an action, short of strike action, to show staff “deserve a break”.

Clare Williams, UNISON regional convenor and a health worker, said health workers were treated “shoddily” by the Government saying: “No health worker takes industrial action lightly.

“Year on year we are seeing our pay eroded, while delivering a high standard of care against ever increasing demands with reduced staffing levels.

“Even a straight 1% increase would be nowhere near enough to meet the massive cost of living increases that NHS staff have coped with since 2010.”

Middlesbrough councillor receives OBE at Buckingham Palace

A Middlesbrough councillor has received his OBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Cllr Michael Carr was awarded his OBE for public service to education and regeneration in Middlesbrough.

Cllr Carr, 67, from Coulby Newham, was first elected in 1976 and he served 12 years as leader of Middlesbrough Council from 1983 to 1995.

He was the lead councillor in the Building Schools for the Future scheme and is currently an executive member for the Change Programme, which is overseeing the impact of budget cuts on the council.

He was awarded the honour as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list at Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday.

“It was very interesting,” he said. “It was very impressive and it was just incredibly well organised and there were a lot of very interesting people there.

“Funnily enough I met someone who went to Whinney Banks school and a soldier from Guisborough. Although they don’t live in Middlesbrough now it’s interesting to come across people from the area at Buckingham Palace.

“It was a tremendous day altogether.”

On receiving his OBE, he said it was “obviously very pleasing”.

“I have been involved in public service and local government for 40 years,” he said.“I’ve always said I’ve got an award but I’ve worked with lots and lots of different officers and councillors over the years so I can’t claim to take personal credit.

“I could not do it without the support of my family.”

Cleveland Fire Brigade launches campaign to stamp out bonfire menace

A flaming menace, a safety hazard and a huge drain on resources - that’s Cleveland Fire Brigade’s view of the fires which flare at this time of year.

Now fire chiefs are asking residents and businesses to help reduce the number of deliberate blazes this bonfire period which, in October and November last year, cost the brigade a staggering £786,030.

In a new campaign backed by Middlesbrough Football Club, the brigade is aiming to promote bonfire and firework safety, so that people stay safe, not sorry.

And by reducing the number of arson incidents, it will also cut the huge strain on resources fighting such fires can bring

Phil Lancaster, the brigade’s director of community protection, said: “Seven out of 10 fires in our area are deliberately set. And not only that, they are set by some of the people who actually live in the local area, putting lives, property, businesses and the environment at risk, as well as themselves.

“As the evenings draw in and daylight hours are shorter, we see an increase in the number of fires we get. This, added to the fact that a small minority of people think bonfire night gives them an excuse to set fires, means the fire service spends more time dealing with nuisance fires rather than delivering essential lifesaving prevention services and attending real incidents where people are in danger.”

“We want to reach out to our residents and local businesses and ask them to help us make their area safer and stop these arsonists from ruining our communities.”

Businesses are urged to:

Always use refuse containers - preferably with lockable lids - and don’t leave black bags of rubbish or other waste material outside.

At the end of the day, wherever possible bring any refuse containers inside. But if refuse containers are outside, enure they are at least six metres away from buildings, and

Make sure that your refuse container doesn’t overflow with rubbish.

Residents are asked to:

Ensure wheelie bins and black bags are kept in a secure place. Put them out only on the day of collection and bring them back in as soon as possible.

If throwing out old furniture or other household items, keep them secure until the council comes, by arrangement, to collect them, and

If using a skip for building work or rubbish removal, try to fill it and remove it on the same day. If not, ask the skip company for a skip with a lockable lid and position the skip at least six metres from your home.

Anyone with information about suspected arsonists is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or call police on 101. You can also report unofficial bonfires or discarded rubbish for removal by contacting your local council.

For further information, safety advice and contact numbers for rubbish removal, visit http://ift.tt/1yXEKik or follow the brigade on Facebook or Twitter