BBC Look East off air after Norwich studio damaged by storm

Zoe Applegate

BBC News, Norfolk

Martin Barber/BBC A drone image of The Forum building. There is a glass atrium and a curved main roof, with flatter roofs around the sides of the U-shaped building. The BBC office is in the left-hand wing. There is a paved area, stone steps as well as tables and chairs outside the building.Martin Barber/BBC

Storm damage has forced broadcasts of Look East’s weekend bulletins off air, after rainwater damaged technical equipment in the regional TV studio.

Cameras, lights and other equipment were affected by the water leaking into the TV studio, based at The Forum in Norwich, following a thunderstorm in the early hours of Saturday.

The evening bulletin at 17:40 BST was unable to be transmitted and a combined regional service will come from the BBC London studio until further notice.

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“Rainwater has got into the Look East studio affecting technical equipment,” said a BBC spokesperson.

“While repairs are made Look East will share TV bulletins with BBC London – with stories from both regions.

“We hope to be back up and running soon.”

The water is believed to have leaked through the ceiling in the city centre building.

Radio and online newsroom operations, also based at The Forum, have been unaffected.

Sunday’s broadcast of Politics East also went ahead as usual.

BBC Look East covers Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk.

Several shops in Norwich city centre were also affected on Saturday by the aftermath of the thunderstorm.

In John Lewis on All Saints Street, ladies’ clothes rails were spotted pushed to one side of the store and covered in polythene.

Shoppers in Marks and Spencer were also warned by staff that the ground floor had been disrupted.

A company spokeswoman said: “Our store on Rampant Horse [Street] only saw a small impact and was open for trading today as normal.”

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