04/11/2011 Midlands Today

Hello, welcome. The headlines. Pilgrimage rip-off,

of one family were conned out of �10,000 for the trip of a lifetime.

A travel agent faces jail. We were expecting to get what we

paid for, but it was a con. An ambition we can achieve, the

business men who says he can create 100,000 jobs across the region.

Ambition is a good thing, it is a word I am proud to be associated

within a business, it is an approach we want to take.

Make-or-break for Mick McCarthy, two teams with the worst record in

the Premier League go head-to-head. The glory years of British rock, I

meet the man behind these photographs, the resident

photographer Paul Top Of The Pops Good evening. Welcome.

Tonight, pilgrimage one and, a travel agent faces jail for ripping

off a family for �10,000. The promised a five-star experience in

the best of hotels, plus food. But they lived in squalor with nothing

but cockroaches in the fridge. He faces trial -- jail, but Trading

Standards said that many more families are being conned as well.

In a moment, advice on being -- on avoiding being duped.

A cockroach. Filthy conditions and dinner presented in a plastic bag.

A few examples from the catalogue of disasters which his family felt

during what should have been a five-star trip. It was very

upsetting, we had cockroaches, it was a small room, four of us, it

was really hard to move about. The bathroom was so dirty. This was the

man they paid �10,000, Chaudhry Ahmed. Trading Standards spent two

years pursuing him, and they got a guilty verdict today. I am pleased,

the judge has taken this seriously, and the jury have backed this up.

It is a sad case, not the only one in the area. We are determined to

crack down on this. Millions of Muslims make the journey to Mecca,

a City regarded as wholly by Muslims. The shower is on top of

the toilet. They went in 2009. They believed there would stay in luxury

hotels. He only found out on the plane he was not on a direct flight,

and he would be coming back three days later than scheduled. Nobody

knows how many people make the pilgrimage, but it is estimated to

be thousands. It is thought this case could be the tip of the

iceberg. From our investigations, many thousands of people go on

pilgrimage, and many of and ripped off. Why are people so reticent to

complain? They feel they are telling tales on members of their

own community, they get pushed into a loyalty lie, but there is no

royalty, they are cheating people out of thousands of pounds. --

there is no royalty. I hope the other pilgrims who have the same

experience will come forward, so they can be treated... A lot of

them, they do not come forward. Chowdhury Ahmad's business has

closed, he was released on bail and will be sentenced next month. The

family is waiting to see if they will get their money back.

Earlier, I spoke to Sean Tipton from the Association of British

Travel Agents. Unfortunately, these cases are far

from uncommon. Every year, we see situations where people have booked

trips to go to Saudi Arabia, and they have been taken advantage of

by some unscrupulous individuals. In the worst case, they do not

provide the flights or hotels at all. Quite commonly, as we have

seen, when they do provide the trips, they bear little relation to

what was paid for. It seems this agent was preying on their

religious devotion. This is one of the worst things, we are not

talking about going on holiday, we are talking about somebody setting

up a great deal of money, they have to do it once a year. If he were

going on the same pilgrimage again, what should he do? The most

important thing, if you are booking flights and accommodation, sold as

part of a package, the travel company has to have an Air Travel

Organiser's Licence, so if the company goes out of business, you

will be given in your money back, or what you will be flown home free

from charge. Look to see if it is one of our members, because we

police them closely, and we make sure that what you are sold will be

what you have paid for. If he had put up with one of our members,

these problems would have been very unlucky to have occurred.

-- unlikely to have occurred. Coming up, tackling obesity,

research has revealed the best way to slim for good.

Creating 100,000 jobs are right across the region, that is what

business leader and the boss of the department store chain John Willis

is aiming to do. Andy Street is the head at the Organisation, aiming to

bring it regeneration to the area. We have talked about 100,000 new

jobs by 2020. But ambition is a good thing, I am proud to be

associated with the word, and we want to take this approach. My

colleagues are talking about a stinking in a transformational way.

-- talking about thinking in a transformational way. You start in

the city centre, the benefits can be used elsewhere.

Does everybody share his view that Birmingham can be the centre of

regeneration? No, there were eyebrows raised when his colleagues

decided that Birmingham City said there would be the place. Some felt

that outlined areas or surrounding towns like Kidderminster could do

with a beast. But he is emphatic, the centre is the vibrant economic

heart which can deliver their recovery right across the West

Midlands. That is some contentious politics, because many in the Black

Country do not take that view. Others in Stoke-on-Trent, they do

not. They are still smarting over the recent failure to get an

enterprise zone. That is something that comes through very loud and

clear. The case for Stoke-on-Trent is

beyond doubt. We were led to believe that it was about the

population figures, and we would have qualified and met the criteria.

We were clear what we wanted. I just feel that we have to live with

the fact that we have to find another route.

Did Andy Street have any advice for Stoke-on-Trent and Coventry on how

they missed out but he did not? does not want to comment on other

failed bids any more than he wants to talk about other department

stores, but he said that one of the successes in Birmingham was that

they worked very hard with the government to find out exactly what

the government wanted them to deliver, and they worked quickly to

make sure that it could start delivering it.

In all of our negotiations with the government, we have worked hard to

understand exactly what they want, and we have been quick to put our

case in, and hopefully we met the criteria. Our evidence is that that

has been successful. He seems very positive. He must

realise this is a huge challenge. This, one of his top suppliers,

Emma Bridgewater, they recently laid off 20 people, and there is

more about this on my website. As one of Britain's leading

shopkeepers, he will be under no illusions.

You can see the full interview with Andy Street and the debate on what

differences local enterprise partnerships can make to the West

A man is in hospital with leg and chest injuries after being shot.

The police were called to a property in Woodfield Road in

Balsall Heath last night. A gunshot was heard. Detectives have not

named him, but he is said to be in a stable condition.

A meeting has been scheduled to discuss whether to close Stafford

Hospital's A&E department overnight. It is one of a number of options

following a critical report by the Care Quality Commission. The trust

has struggled to recruit staff due to a national shortage of A&E

consultants. It could mean A&E closing from 10pm to 8:00am.

Diet programmes run by private companies are cheaper and more

effective than those offered by GPs or pharmacies, according to

research by the University of Birmingham. We have one of the

highest a visitor rates in the country. It is hoped this new

research could change how GPs tackle this weighty issue.

This medical centre in Bartley Green is referring to increasing

numbers of patients to commercial programmes, since funding became

available. The nurses said they are not surprised by the research

Chernick poorer weight loss in patients with NHS schemes. We might

talk about them going to a commercial group, but often, the

costs were prohibitive. Being able to provide somebody without she's -

- with vouchers has been its huge success. The scales were in favour

of their risk commercial groups, like this one. -- various

commercial groups. Overweight patients to park in the study. They

attended by the commercial classes all GP or pharmacy sessions. The

research showed that, after a year, or of the programmes, except for a

GP and pharmacy groups, had resulted in significant weight loss.

We can offer our members support and encouragement to do more

activity, to have a healthier lifestyle and make the sensible

choices. They are in a meeting that is full of other people, we are all

doing the same thing. Some patients are referred by GPs, others pay

privately. Elise Marshall has lost three stone. I went every week to

my doctor. The guilty -- they gave you a healthy eating plan. If I had

not done well in that week, I would not go. The leading researcher told

us that companies could give more specialist help. The primary care

programmes of One 2 One. The people providing them do not have the same

level of specialism and expertise. A practice nurse has got to be a

jack-of-all-trades. Nurses say, while private classes work, some

patients will always prefer their local surgery.

BMW has announced it will upgrade its hams Hall plant near Birmingham.

This comes on top of the �500 million investment they made in

their many production in June. They said they will install a new state-

of-the-art production system at Hams Hall for the new generation of

low-emission engines. The move will secure a long-term future of the

plant. The cultural festival which ties in

with the London Olympic Games has been officially lodged a date with

events planned across the region. The Mandala Project will take

centre stage at Chamberlain Square in Birmingham during the 12 weeks

celebrations. Organisers of the festival are calling for people to

get involved with bell-ringing. One of the projects, everybody in

the country will be asked to ring a bell for three minutes at 8 am on

the day after opening ceremony, on 27th July, so people can drink

church bells, cycle bells, doorbells, handbells, any kind of

That is going to be noisy, isn't Coming up, at recognising musical

talent but which stars will make it onto the Hall of fame?

And the bonfire weekend forecast is coming up. The weather has given us

some flashes and bangss. What will it be like for your fireworks

party? I will have the details in a few minutes.

Dan is here with the sport. It is a pretty good night after the Europa

League? Yes. A great comeback for Birmingham City. They were 2-0 down

against Bruges but came back again. Good work from Nicholas's the ditch.

And then Jean Beausejour it gave them a penalty. It felt like a win.

Where does this leave us in terms of the knockout stages? Two games

left and they just need a point in either of those. For the Blues, it

is a lot more tense. They have three teams on the same number of

points. It is going to be down to the last.

Let's move on to domestic issues, and Mick McCarthy has admitted they

need to beat their opposition in the Premier League match this

weekend. They are only one place above the relegation zone.

History hangs on the walls but it is the immediate future that

concerns their boss. He was honest and upbeat as he faced the media

today, in spite of their defeats. cannot play it down. It's of real

significance to us both. We both desperately need the points. I

imagine both of us are looking and thinking we should get the points.

The frustration of the Wolves boiled over in this game as the

fans jeered the man who has brought them up and kept them up. For some

of the stuff was made of it was lies about what I said. People have

not seen us win for a while so we have to change their perception.

is hoping the spirit will serve them again on Sunday.

That vital game his life on Sunday afternoon on BBC West Midlands

Radio. It is also going to be a tense

evening for fans of Worcester Rugby Club. Tonight, they are away to the

team at the bottom, being one from bottom themselves. They are hoping

an England international scrum half can inspire them to victory.

Could he be the one? Can Shaun Perry save was a's season? He is a

good player but look at the strapping on his knee and the alarm

bells start ringing. A month ago, it was feared his injury would

force him to miss the whole season, but after getting through 80

minutes against cabs a little Wasps last week, he says he is ready to

show his best. You do the twist and turn with somebody trying to tackle

you and you do not know if you are going to hold up. My main concern

for the game was to get through it and made sure I did not injure

myself more and make sure my knee held out, and it did. This is what

was to fans will want to see. He has played several times for

England. He is a big character with us, very popular on and off the

field. Superb in attack and crucial on defence. A big character.

Worcester need some inspiration. It is only a few months ago this team

was celebrating promotion another are making heart -- working hard to

make sure it was not in vain. Tonight's clash at Newcastle pits

the bottom two teams. They claimed they are adjusting to life in the

top flight. We have a lot of positives to take and we have

everything to gain. They are bottom-of-the-table at the minute

and we are above them, so we are going in with confidence. Their

owner, Cecil Duckworth, says he will be desperately hoping

Worcester can avoid relegation. Tonight's game is not make or break

but it will go a long way to shaking their -- shaping their

The good news is, they cannot go bottom even if they lose.

Most of us will have seen the BBC chart show, Top Of The Pops, before

it ended, but not everybody will know that when it began in 1964,

the show took on a photographer who stayed for nearly a decade, taking

photos of rock stars of the time. Now we can all have a look at them.

It is the Tabard exhibition that brings memories flooding back and

for Kate Cook, there are plenty. Songs that remind me of when I got

married and engaged. Nice, happy memories when I could run around,

dancing. My Generation - the glory years of British rock brings

together the photographs taken by Harry Goodwin, the resident

photographer at Fort Top Of The Pops from 1964 to 1973. When I

first went down to the first show on Dickinson Road, they had paper

pictures of The Beatles. I thought, I am going to be in business

because they were all out of focus. I said, how much are you paying me?

They said, �30 a week. I was ready to war away. They said, we to

minute, if you take the six pictures, I will give you a credit.

It was a deal which meant Harry met hundreds of stars, including Roy

Wood and Slade. Slade have been very good to me. When I came off

Top Of The Pops, getting the wage I was getting, it was not very much.

Even if one or two had gone cold, Noddy Holder with saw me out every

time. And of course, we lost Jimmy Savile just under a week ago and

you were good friends? Yes. We worked 10 years on Top Of The Pops

to go the. Very, very good. He did a lot for charity. If for a man

with so many stories, there is one photo he never got. That was Elvis

Presley. He flew into Scotland and did the show. That was one that got

away. I think he was last seen in a chip shop in badly! Was he? Yeah!

How is it my manager did not know about that! If that is really funny.

That was the most important programme on the television for me.

It is a bit distressing for everybody here! The exhibition is

on until January 15th. It is not just that that country

celebrating all things musical. In Coventry, they have decided to

honour some of the biggest musical stars in the city. They are

creating a wall of fame and have just announced the first six people

to be on it. It is a very eclectic mix, I have to say. We have a

member of the Specials, Steve cardboard Eton, Bob Bradley and

Punjabi Ms C. These are what the plaques look like. We will be

meeting two people who have received them, but first, I am

looking back at Coventry's musical history. For for a city the size of

Coventry, they have had their fair share of musical success.

Kane. The Primitives. -- King. And the Enemy. They have all been in

the singles and album charts. So what about some of the people who

have been picked for the first six plaques on the Coventry wall of

fame. And Punjabi Embsay, also known as origin do, was first known

as the person to have a crossover bhangra hit. His son was a Top Ten

hit in countries across the world, including the UK. -- his song. Also

on it is a member of one of the biggest fans to come out of the

city. They put the area on the map. The band are now back together and

playing live again after 30 years and that is thanks to guitarist Mr

Goulding, or go straight to the reunion. That is the reason he has

been selected over the other members to be an inaugural name on

the music hall of fame. The party has been going on all afternoon and

is just about coming to an end. Let's speak to two who have got

plaques. It is so important that To Tone were involved? Yes. It is what

makes Coventry such a fantastic place musically. We are probably

the most well known but this man is global! Lots of great things have

come from this that people stop it could have been very easy to get

six guys but they have gone a bit diverse. You must be very, very

proud? I feel very humble. It is a great privilege to be honoured by

York, Dorset people stop they were about the views and music together

and that is why I feel I have supported Coventry. Pete has always

supported me from a young age and I have had a lot of people to be

inspired by. If let's speed to Pete Chambers, who has organised this.

Quite a range of names. People might be surprised? Yes. I am

always banging on about the fact that Coventry is so much more. We

might not be able to compete with Manchester and Sheffield, but we

have got a lot going for us and we are going to have a music museum

here, so it is going to be exciting days and we will show everybody.

These are the first six and these guys have got them, but I am sure

there will be plenty more. Back to you. Thank you. What a line-up! It

is fantastic. If now we will talk about bonfire night, and it has

been damned. What is going to Tomorrow looks a bit better because

fireworks parties tonight could turn into a damp squib. It is clear

when we look at the radar picture. These other showers that pushed up

from the South and you can see the green and yellow colours indicating

where we had very heavy downpours, and some rain is still a -- is

still falling, particularly across western and northern parts. Whether

cloud goes away, we could have mist and fog tomorrow morning, and

feeling fairly chilly. The prospects for the weekend are not

looking too bad. It should be mostly dry but you will notice

things turning cooler. The reason for the more settled outlook is

this ridge of high pressure. This is just edging its way towards us

and that is what will squeeze out the weather systems and dry things

up into the weekend. Saturday is looking like a decent day and any -

- any early mist and fog should clear a wear. The West is always

clinging on to a bit more cloud. We will have a fairly brisk northerly

breeze. In most places, things are looking dry but we do have to watch

some rain that is going to come perilously close to the is. In

Rugby, we could see some spits or spots of rain. We will see some

clear spells in Shrewsbury and because of that, it will turn

fairly chilly. Sunday, another mainly dry day with the best of the

sunshine in the West and more cloud in the South and the East. In terms

of bonfire night, tonight, you will see some rain but tomorrow looks

Let's have a look at tonight's main headlines. G20 leaders leave Cannes

with some agreement to boost finances but no detail on how to