04/01/2012 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.

The headlines tonight: Warnings that cuts to housing benefits could

lead to a rise in homelessness. is all very worrying. Flood

barriers go up by the Severn in Shrewsbury with water levels

expected to peak this evening. Overnight tonight, we are expecting

more rain. We need to keep an eye on that. Fears the skills gap could

be widening and it could slow down the recovery in manufacturing...

And the amazing story of twins born FIVE YEARS apart! We made the

decision to give it a go and try, and we are very lucky that we --

one of the embryos survived the Good evening and welcome to

Wednesday's Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight: Food or rent - that's

the stark choice charities say the poorest in our region will have to

make because of government cuts to housing benefit. They also warn

there'll be a reduction in the number of rental homes available

and an increase in homelessness. But the government disputes that,

saying the changes will stop rents spiralling out of control - and

they say they're offering a package of help to those in greatest need

to cushion them as the new limits are introduced this week. Ben

James Ashton is 33, and unemployed. He's had crisis loans and can only

afford his �105 weekly rent because it's paid in full through housing

benefits. But the Government's capping his allowance, and those of

the growing number of people attending this drop-in centre in

Birmingham. It will mean another bill for me to pay, which will cut

down on my food bill. It may be quite angry that we have to pay. We

are paying for the government bills. There is concerned that... Single

people under 35 are the latest to see reduced benefits - there's

concern thousands of homes will be out of reach - with claimants left

choosing between food and rent. you are having your rent covered by

housing benefit, housing benefit will reduce to �110 per week, and

there will be any to find the difference. In Birmingham, more

than 14,000 homes are now effectively unaffordable to those

effectively unaffordable to those claiming hundred and -- housing

benefit. In Coventry, the figure is more than 5,000. And even out of

the city, in places like Shropshire, the city, in places like Shropshire,

the figure is close to 4,000 homes. The Sifa Fireside charity in

Birmingham is expecting a rise in the city's homeless. There is an

example of a guy who lost his job, and we are trying to keep him out

of the homeless system. Government says the new limits will

stop rents spiralling. Housing benefits cost taxpayers �20bn a

year. Some claimants, we're told, do receive up to �400 a week.

not acceptable do we have a situation that there are people on

average earnings in Britain, who cannot afford to live in the same

size of accommodation as those on housing benefit. We need to move

the system so that it is affordable, it protects the most vulnerable but

also is fair to taxpayers. Would you say that these are fair? Those

people have never been in this situation. James Ashton and others

here are seeking advice. No job, and no money for their rent. Their

last hope may be a rent reduction We did ask Birmingham City Council

for their response but no one was available for comment tonight.

Flood barriers have been going up in Shrewsbury today following more

wet and windy weather overnight. The River Severn is still rising

and there's been some flooding of low-lying land upstream. Our

reporter Joanne Writtle has spent the day in Shrewsbury. Joanne

what's the latest? It is certainly wet. Most of the defence barriers

are now in place, because this stretch of and the River Severn.

They have been used 20 times over the a -- last eight years. With the

main polling -- pouring down, it is now a waiting game. Protecting

homes and businesses from the forces of nature. Environment

Agency workers were out working early to put in a flood defence

barriers here. For this Ironmongers, it is a relief. Back in 2003, sings

like this were a regular occurrence. Water used, out through the floor

and used to have filled the shop, and all of these units here have

been constructed so they can be removed easy -- easily. It takes

three hours to get everything from downstairs up here. What is it like

today knowing you do not have to do that? It is brilliant. A similar

story at this Auctioneers, where three feet of water would regularly

flood in. We would expect the up people and the mess, so we could

not plant sales that well through the Christmas and new year period.

But now, we are not going to have a flood to contend with. The barriers

were last to hear it -- used here in February the austere. This

building was opened three years ago. The pantomime will go ahead. We are

dealing with the flooding. Last year, it was ice and snow and

terrible cold. Upstream, a flooded road and fields of water. More rain

is forecast, with the Environment Agency keeping an eye on when and

if to install more barriers in the They are just putting up the second

phase of the barriers behind me to protect the car park here. Joining

the is a representative from the Environment Agency. When will

levels peak and by how much? We are looking at a fairly normal

Winterflood. We would expect the river levels to rise by another

half a metre to a metre. But because of the main scene in Wales,

we are making precautions, because they could be a secondary peak in

another day or so. When Debbie Flood princes put up elsewhere?

do not plan on doing that at the moment, but we will be watching it

closely. How do you know when to spring into action? We have a quite

sophisticated level of gages, and we have computer models which will

give us an idea of what we should do. It seems so ironic that

recently we were talking about droughts. But that is the British

weather for you! It will take a lot of this type of weather to balance

the system, if you like. It has been so dry eye over the past few

months that it will take an awful lot of this stuff to take us to

where we need to be. Thank you for joining us. As we have heard, river

levels in Shrewsbury are expected Sarah Cruickshank's been studying

the weather charts for us - so how are things looking then? We are

seeing the rain here. But Wales has been seen the worst of it. We are

going to see some heavy bursts of rain through the night, and there's

still a flood warning in place for the River Severn, but we will see

its gearing up, but if you are a little concerned, you can get the

latest information on a phone number the trouble give again later

And for more information and pictures of flooding elsewhere in

the region, go to the BBC web pages for Hereford and follow the links.

A leading businessman is warning a serious shortage of skilled workers

could halt the current boom in our manufacturing industry in its

tracks. A lack of investment, for example, in apprentices plus the

higher wages being offered by expanding companies such as Jaguar

Land Rover are both adding to the so-called 'skills gap' Here's our

Business Correspondent Peter Plisner. Keeping the manufacturing

momentum going - here orders are good and output is at its highest

level for eight years - but when it comes to recruiting more staff it's

a different story. The managing director here is finding it hard to

find people with the right skills. Although we are seeing a boom in

manufacturing at the moment, there is only a certain sized pool of

people to call from. Long-term, I can see that coming to an end.

a worrying prediction... Look around this factory and it's not

difficult to work out why he's so concerned. The people that work in

here... I and 61 years old. There's another chap who is 56 and 63.

they have struggled to fill the jobs. One job took six months to

fill. So far, there has been very little A downturn in the number of

apprentices is certainly a factor, but so too is the growth of

companies like Jaguar Land Rover- currently recruiting thousands of

new staff. It is fantastic for the economy, and it will help pull in a

lot of people who would otherwise be unemployed, but there are

technical people who will be put up -- playing from the pull of the

Industry experts share the concerns and are alreadty calling for urgent

action. Over the long term, we need to train thousands of engineers,

apprentices Despite a long recession manufacters in the

Midlands are doing extremely well - but for that to continue - most

agree that action is needed to plug so called skills gap, before it's

too late. And Peter joins us now from another Birmingham engineering

firm that's finding it hard to recruit the right staff. What's

being done to sort the problem out, Peter? Here, the machines are still

running, which shows how busy they are, but the problem is finding the

tools to make these sheets. Many people have gone to work for Jaguar

Land-Rover. How are you dealing with this problem? We are working

with our network of Mike minded manufacturers. We are reinventing

our apprenticeship schemes. That will include school leavers and

matured apprenticeship candidates. What about short-term fixes? Short

term, what we have done is adopt and improvers skiing. What that

does is to recruit people with the basic engineering skills to

manufacture tools that we utilise, and turn them into our brand of

skilled person. You have lost many people to Jaguar Land Rover. That

must be very difficult for the company. Yes, what we have to do

his promoter small manufacturing companies and training they to get

from those as a much higher level of training and more diverse than

the bigger many factors can give. You have to pay more wages, don't

you? Yes, we do. In order to do that, we need to target mid-market

contracts for us to win. Things will get worse before they get

better? Yes, they are. With respect to winning new business, we are

seeing contracts come in, and they are in new markets. Many thanks. It

is clear that we need more apprentices, and more training, but

The funeral's taken place of Kate Prout who was murdered by her

husband in 2007. Adrian Prout was convicted of murder but always

denied the killing. He finally confessed last year and showed

police where he'd buried her. Kate Prout's family have held a private

service at Cheltenham Crematorium. Still to come, football minnows

Tamworth prepare to tackle Premier League giants Everton in the FA Cup.

There is a financial reward. And what's in a word? Well, �10,000

for the winner as the world's best Scrabble players head to Coventry.

The Boat and Caravan Show has been a fixture on the calendar here in

the West Midlands for more than 50 years. But it's been announced the

show due to be held next month has been cancelled. Organisers say

they've been forced to make the decision because of a rival event

which has been set up in London. Cath Mackie reports.

The National Exhibition Centre's been home to the Boat and Caravan

show for 35 years. The event was the largest of its kind in the UK.

87,000 people came to browse and buy caravans, boats and camping kit

last year. But no more because the February 2012 show has been

cancelled. Rhyno UK, who make caravan accessories in Coventry, is

one of the 500 plus regular exhibitors who'll now have to find

somewhere else to go. It is quite devastating, really. We have been

exhibiting there for seven years and it is the first year without

the shop window for our business. It could be up to 50% of sales but

as yet we have to point out. -- we have to find out. The show's

organisers Ocean Media Group say the event's not getting the support

it needs from exhibitors. The National Caravan Council's

organised a rival event at the Excel centre in London. But events

like the clothes show at the NEC help generate �1.8 billion a year

for the west midlands economy. In fact, the NEC's the biggest

exhibition centre in terms of numbers with 2.1 million visitors a

year. Excel in London got 2 million visitors last year. Thanks to the

Olympics, that's expected to double this year. Then there's Earls Court

and Olympia with 1.4 and 1.1 million visitors respectively. So

while news of the Boat and Caravan Show's demise is seen as

disappointing, Birmingham's chamber of commerce is optimistic. Remember,

we still do 14 of the top 20 shows nationally here in Birmingham. We

are at the centre of the country, we have all the reasons why people

want to come here. The NEC says they're really saddened that the

Boat and Caravan Show is being cancelled and are sure the event

will be sorely missed. Now to the story of remarkable

twins and the baby girl born five years after her twin brother. It is

an amazing story. Floren Blake came from the same batch of embryos as

her brother Reuben after their parents turned to fertility

treatment. John Maguire reports from Cheltenham.

They are the perfect picture of a contented young family. Mum Jody,

Dad Simon, five-year-old Reuben and now twin sister Floren born just

seven weeks ago. The Blakes from Cheltenham first received fertility

treatment at Southmead Hospital in Bristol in 2005. It worked then so

they tried their luck again. Three embryos were frozen for storage.

That was for one of the day just in case we wanted to extend the family

and that came about earlier this year when we made the decision to

give it go and try. And we were very lucky that one of the embryos

survived the presence and was implanted into Jody and grew into

Floren, who is it today. Southmead staged an extra special Christmas

party last month for just some of the babies born here in 2011, more

than 1,000, in fact. But even for such a successful IVF unit, Simon

and Jody's case is a special one. We were very lucky the first time,

incredibly lucky. And we didn't think we would be lucky enough

again. And we thought we would give it ago and didn't expect it to work.

Only one embryo survived, two sadly perished. We were expecting it to

fail. We were absolutely amazed when it worked. The family are

enjoying telling people they have twins born of the same genetic

material if not the same pregnancy, and they hope their story will

inspire other couples, that with hope and modern science, little

miracles can be possible time and time again.

What a lovely family. Incredible, isn't it?

And Phil Upton will be speaking live to the father of those unique

twins who works in Birmingham on his breakfast show on BBC WM

tomorrow morning. Here's Ian with the sport.

West Bromwich Albion left White Hart Lane with plenty of praise.

But no points after last night's 1- 0 defeat. The Spurs boss Harry

Redknapp was impressed by Albion's defensive performance, without six

key players. But they couldn't hold out and Jermaine Defoe scored the

only goal just after the hour. the last performances have given me

comfort in the way we are playing. We have got a 18 games to play and

we have to reproduce those performances week after week and

hopefully the bit of misfortune we have suffered in the last couple of

games, that will not last for the rest of the season.

Tonight's Premier League game at Goodison Park will have a spy in

the crowd. Marcus Law, the manager of non-league Tamworth, is running

his beady eye over Everton before they meet in the FA Cup on Saturday.

More than 4,000 fans will make the trip from Staffordshire. And today,

a VIP guest turned up at training. Between us, we've won the FA Cup

three times. Well, OK. Martin Keown has won it three times. And I just

watched on the telly. But it's always a thrill getting your hands

on the famous old silverware. And today, the Cup turned up in

Coventry, where non-league Tamworth were training at the University of

Warwick before Saturday's third round trip to Everton. 15th in a

Blue Square Premier against the 11th in the Premiership. A

mismatch? Of course, but that it is -- that is what it is about. You

play above yourself and you hope your other team have a nightmare

performance. They have got have believe, they have got to enjoy it,

love it, really. They haven't -- they cannot have any fear and, you

never know, they might win it. that little stone happens to could

go live in the hip at the right place and right time, then why not?

If only Tamworth had someone who could bend it like Beckham. Someone

who'd played alongside Becks for the LA Galaxy. Someone like Kyle

Patterson. The Tamworth striker who played in the States after being

released as a youngster with West Brom. That is a lot of attention on

us and we don't want to hide and let the attention passed us by. We

want to let the experience wash over us. So who better than Martin

Keown to give a little pep talk to the lads from non-league before

their hot date on Merseyside? Believe in yourselves. Enjoy the

Believe in yourselves. Enjoy the Believe in yourselves. Enjoy the

occasion. Have no regrets. And ignoring all talk of superstition,

Tamworth couldn't wait to get their hands on the Cup, just in case they

never get this close ever again. It is a dream tie.

Tamworth's manager Marcus Law is clearly looking forward to playing

Everton. I bet he wouldn't dare touch the Cup? You're right. He

wouldn't go anywhere near it. And not only that, but he told me he's

vowed that he'll never even set foot inside Wembley Stadium to

watch a game until he gets the opportunity, as a manager, to see

his own team playing there. Fingers crossed. We'll have more

from the Tamworth camp on Friday. Tomorrow, we're with Cheltenham

Town before their big Cup tie at Tottenham.

Thank you. Well, one sport or pastime that's

been traditionally associated with the region is pigeon fancying.

There are more licensed racing pigeons here than in any other part

of the country. But with most enthusiasts of a certain age, some

fear it's fading into history. But �40,000 of lottery money's now

being spent to preserve memories of the passion for pigeons, as Giles

Latcham has been finding out. on, come on.

Fred Evans, where he's happiest. In his pigeon loft at his home in

Kingstanding in Birmingham. He's been racing them 33 years, so there

must be something about it. It is fantastic. Your heart starts

pumping, the adrenalin gets going. And even if you don't win the race,

at that moment when the pigeon comes, you feel you have won the

race. Midlanders have been fancying pigeons for the best part of a

century, breeding, showing and racing. Traditionally, it's been a

hotbed and there are still hundreds of enthusiasts here but by and

large they're growing older together. Which is why a younger

breed of fancier applied for a grant to create an archive

celebrating the passion for pigeons. And the lottery's come up with

�40,000. It is absolutely wonderful. I think it is something that has

not been done before. It is a completely unique project but it is

something that is dying out as well. There are not many people taking it

up and if we don't capture the culture now, who knows what will

happen in the future. A top racer can reach speeds of 90 mph and the

celebrated back-flipping Bham Roller has some heavyweight fans.

The pigeons, they brought them back to England. I suspected he was

closer to the North of England, but -- because he was the Birmingham

roller. Will's a rarity. A teenage pigeon fancier. They belonged to

his dad who died in September. His son's keeping his passion alive.

This is how we bonded. I feel it is the part of him. My friends laughed

about it but I don't mind. It is what I choose to do, it is what

keeps me busy. The archive formed of a radio play, a book and video

interviews will be lodged in the Birmingham Central library.

That is good to here, actually. Now, what's been around for more

than 70 years but can leave you lost for words? The answer is the

board game Scrabble, which was invented in the 1930s. While we may

play it for fun, competitive Scrabble is a very serious affair.

And today some of the best players in the world were in Coventry for

the UK Open, bidding to win �10,000 in prize money. Here's Kevin Reide.

Chosen for it's good road links, central location and because hotels

are amongst the most competitively priced in the UK, the UK Scrabble

Open has arrived in Coventry. picked -- 56 games so it is worth

my time to come over from Holland and play. The British players are

some of the best in the world and get a chance to compete against the

best is what is so exciting. Where I come from, it was 80 degrees

where I left, Fahrenheit, but it is worth it here. Some are world

champions, like Nigel Richards from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, but

others are here for the fun. I was on the M6 on the way down. The car

boot for a lot - much the car boot opened, the tiles fell out and a

chap asked me, what is the word on the street? There are more than a

quarter of a million words in the Scrabble dictionary but just a few

mean you're onto a winner. The highest scoring starting word means

Russian peasants and can score you 128 points but during again, one

word scored over 300 points. There are 64 players, new players to

world champions, double world champions, and some of his

experienced players have been playing 40 years. They will all

play 38 games and the person that wins the most games wins the money.

At the top prize is �2,000 at if you fancy go, these days you can

click online, any time or anywhere, Kuala Lumpur-Coventry.

It is great, it is such an absorbing game. I would like to

It has been a windy day today and we have flood warnings in plays the

tonight for parts of Shropshire. If you are concerned, please call the

Club line. -- the Floodline. This weather front will push in tonight

bringing some rain our way and the weather front means we will see

gusts of 50 mph as the winds increase as well so it is a wet

band windy might across the region and we will see some heavy rain.

Temperatures dipping to around seven so it is not too cold.

Tomorrow, bright a weather, so we will see a brief respite from the

rain. Tomorrow morning, quite a lot of cloud with the rain dying out

giving us dry weather for tomorrow afternoon and quite a lot of

brightness and sunny spells to end the day but it will be a windy day.

It will feel cold as well with temperatures peaking at around nine.

Another windy day, but it will be dry. Overnight, we will see some

showers, but it will be largely drive. Friday starts off cold, with

high pressure, meaning the cloud will build through the day so it

starts off with quite a lot of sunshine, but Friday afternoon, we

will see quite a lot of cloud with temperatures peaking at seven or 8.

A look at tonight's main headlines: The men who murdered Stephen

Lawrence are jailed and told their crime scarred the conscience of

nation. And here, charities warn of a big

rise in homelessness as the Government cuts housing benefit.