13/12/2013 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: A warning to

Christmas party`goers after dozens of women are sexually assaulted by

unlicensed taxi drivers trawling the streets.

Our message is for people to just be mindful and book their journeys home

and make sure friends and family know where they are. We'll be

hearing a victim's dramatic story of how she was assaulted by a driver

taking her home. Also tonight: It's used by 60,000 passengers across the

region, but now the popular ring and ride scheme is under threat.

A lot of people depend on it, a lot of elderly people would not be able

to get out at all. Joy for 200 workers, most of them

with a disability, as Remploy finds a buyer for three factories.

What goes up sometimes comes down ` passengers at New Street Station

urged to mind their step on busy escalators.

And the weekend weather's not looking great ` it's wet and windy

for the next few days. I'll have your full forecast later.

Good evening. The Christmas party season gets into full swing this

weekend, but do you know who's taking you home at the end of the

night? West Midlands Police are warning that bogus and illegal taxi

drivers are targeting vulnerable women looking for cabs home after a

night out on the town. The warning comes after 75 women were sexually

assaulted by cabbies who picked them up either legally or illegally over

the last two years. BBC Inside Out West Midlands reporter Anthony

Bartram spoke to one of those victims.

I'd got a lot drunker than I'd planned and I had to work the next

day, so I decided I needed to go back to the hotel. The beginning of

Sarah's story is far from unusual ` a boozy night out with friends in

Birmingham. But it ended with a terrifying encounter with a bogus

taxi driver who attacked her. He leaned over from the driver's side

onto the passenger seat where I was sat and he started kissing my face

and on my lips. I thought really at that point, it would have been best

to just sit there and let him carry on because I thought I'd end up in a

worse situation if I fought and tried to push him off. Shakeel Ahmed

is now serving five years for a serious sexual assault. He wasn't

even a minicab driver, but in the state Sarah was in, she didn't

notice until it was too late. Our message is for people to just be

mindful and to book their journeys home and make sure friends and

family know where they are and where they are going. 75 similar assaults

have been investigated in the past two years. The majority of the 4500

private hire cars and 1500 black cabs to play by the rules, and while

sex attacks are rare, there are other risks. If you just get into a

private hire car that you have not, your journey is not insured, so you

are putting yourself at risk. Always a private hire vehicle in advance.

The council catches many illegally plying their trade every year. We

joined an undercover police team to find those prepared to risk their

livelihoods. We are about to look for some of these rogue drivers. How

easy do you think it is going to be? I would say fairly easy,

especially around areas like this with lots of students on nights out.

We did find a number of cabbies playing by the rules, insisting we

book ahead, but it didn't take long to find a ride who wasn't so fussy.

He didn't get far. Unfortunately, there is a small proportion of

drivers where greed will take over and they will take the opportunity

for a quick, easy amount of cash to be made. But this driver now faces a

charge of driving without insurance and could now lose his private hire

license if convicted. Police warn that their passengers are risking a

lot more by using them. I'm joined now by Chris Neville, the

Head of Licensing at Birmingham City Council. Are you satisfied that

enough is being done to put an end to it? We have never done more than

we are at the moment in terms of taxi enforcement is. Last weekend,

we had many officers out on the street, checking drivers and

vehicles and making sure drivers were not picking up passengers who

had not made bookings. The figures are alarming. 900 vehicles were

tested and 20% were not roadworthy and 40% did not comply with taxi

regulation. Some of them had minor fault and were not completely

unroadworthy. But it is true that vehicles are not being kept in the

condition they should be kept in. It seems that there has been an

explosion in the number of taxis in Birmingham recently. A lot of

vehicles are coming to Birmingham from other areas . It is a magnet

because of the night time economy we have here. That in itself is not

illegal, as long as people book the vehicles in advance. That is what

drivers are not always doing. They are taking passengers at the side of

the road, and then those journeys are not insured. That is the risk

passengers are putting themselves at, apart from those very few people

who will sit outside nightclubs, but tend to be eight taxi driver and

then take passengers. What is your advice? Yellow mac when you plan

your journey before you go out at night, think about how you will get

home. Work out where the nearest black cab rank is so that you know

what you are doing and you are not wandering aimlessly in the street,

wondering how to get home. And you can see more on that when

Inside Out West Midlands returns on BBC One in the New Year.

Coming up later in the programme: They're meant to make life easier,

but sometimes it doesn't work out like that ` the perils and pitfalls

of the New Street Station escalators!

A minibus service used by more than 60,000 people across the West

Midlands is under threat because of cuts to transport budgets. Centro,

which funds the ring and ride service, is having to cut budgets by

10%, a total of ?14 million over the next two years. Our reporter joins

us from Birmingham City Centre. Tell us more about what's being proposed.

Well, Centro gets its money from seven local authorities, and they

are going to cut the money they give. There are a number of options

on the table. It is possible that child fares may rise to two thirds

of adult fares. At the moment, they are half. Some bus services could be

cut, and the ring and ride service could lose it ran substantially or

even have to disappear. I have been talking to people who are not happy

about that. For the elderly and the disabled,

the fleet of 150 ring and ride minibuses is a lifeline. Take

86`year`old Tom Richards, from Harborne. Unsteady on his feet, he

says he wouldn't be able to do his shopping without the service. It is

a shame, because I can't get about like I used to. It is a bloody good

service. Other regular users, who pay 60 pence per journey, say ring

and ride is much more than a means of getting from A to B. A lot of

people would be isolated if they did not have ring and ride. It is their

only means of seeing somebody once a week when they go shopping. 23,000

passengers use the ring and ride service on a regular basis. If the

service is discontinued, the worry is that hard`pressed care workers

will have to step in to help those unaffected. Passengers also use the

service for hospital appointments and trips to day care centres. Their

mental and physical health will deteriorate, which means local

authorities will have to intervene with more costly cap packages and

ultimately have to take people into residential care, which is in

nobody's best interests. And it's not just pensioners who fear

isolation if ring and ride is axed. I can't use conventional can't ought

because my chair will not fit in the taxi or a normal bus. So without the

services of ring and ride, I would be lost. Transport bosses say

they're sympathetic, but warn that these are the kind of tough

decisions necessary when the money simply isn't there. Joining me now

is the chairman of the passenger transport authority. Are you not

targeting the vulnerable by going for the ring and write this?

Absolutely not. As you indicated, we are faced with unprecedented cuts to

the budget, because local authorities who fund us had those

cuts to consider themselves. So they are asking us to investigate the

possibility of a ?40 million cut in our budget, which will have an

impact on all the services we provide. You are also looking at

cutting concessionary fares for 40,000 children, again an easy

target. Are there not staff you could cut first? But we have looking

at staff. There are proposals that indicate a further cut could be

made, 40% over the last three years. It is a problem for us. A lot of

money is being spent on the Metro and an extension to the line. Could

that not be scaled back 's that is funded through a different budget,

Capitol. We are looking at the revenue budget. Well, there is a

consultation process, and people who will be affected will be able to

comment until the middle of January. A former Redditch postman who was

jailed for life for attempted rape in 1997 has been freed by the Court

of Appeal. Victor Nealon has spent the past 17 years in Wakefield

Prison. But the court accepted that new DNA evidence cast doubt on his

case. The 53`year`old has always denied the attack and his conviction

has been quashed. He is angry about it, as you would imagine after 17

years. Very frustrated. I have not been able to speak to him today

because of his location, but I am sure he is happy to be released. It

is the start of a difficult journey for him.

A new report by MPs says building the High Speed Rail link between

London and the north is vital for increasing capacity on the railways.

Today's report on HS2 says it's the only way to deal with the long`term

demands of passengers and freight. The Commons Transport Committee also

says it'll play a major role in promoting economic growth outside

London. Opponents say it'll be a waste of money as well as damaging

the environment. It is important for the regeneration of Britain. We

can't have all the jobs in the south, we have to rebalance our

economy. For me, HS2 goes a little way towards doing that. 38 minutes

from London to Birmingham means we are accessible to everybody within

an hour. A thousand BMW agency staff,

including some based at its Hams Hall site in Warwickshire, are being

given permanent jobs this Christmas. The Midlands site is one of three

factories which manufacture Minis. 700 staff will be told before

Christmas and the remaining 300 in the new year.

The BBC has seen leaked plans to cut general surgery at Cheltenham

Hospital and move it to Gloucestershire Royal. The proposals

are contained in a document from the Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust,

which wants to centralise general surgery and breast surgery by 2018.

The Trust says it's an internal document in its early stages.

More than 200 jobs have been saved after a buyer was found for

Remploy's car`part factories in Coventry, Birmingham and Derby. 179

of those jobs are held by people with a disability. Today, the new

owners have been talking about their plans for the future.

All they wanted for Christmas was to keep their jobs. And today, workers

at Remploy's automotive plant in Coventry got their wish. They've got

new owners, along with two other sites in Birmingham and Derby. It is

a big relief for many employees. The whole shop floor was cheering. A

private company, Rempower, has bought the car component business

from the Government for an undisclosed sum. There has been

uncertainty here for the last two years, which is no good for the

employees or the customers, because the motor manufacturers want to know

they have security of supply. Remploy factories were established

more than 60 years ago to provide work for people with disabilities.

But last year, the Government said many weren't financially viable and

would close. We have been moving out of our factory provision and

focusing on supporting what the majority of disabled people want,

which is to find employment in the mainstream. But Veronica Burton says

it's not that easy to find work. This is my first proper job. Why do

you think you could not find a job? Because I disabled. The takeover

will help secure her job, along with more than 200 others. The turnover

at the sites in Birmingham, Derby and here in Coventry is ?50 million

a year. The new owners have big hopes, and they are making big

promises. They are looking to double that turnover in four years. The new

signs are already going up, making it clear that they're planning to

stay. This is our top story tonight: A

warning to Christmas party`goers after vulnerable women are assaulted

by unlicensed taxi drivers trawling the streets. Your detailed weather

forecast to come shortly.Also in tonight's programme: There's no more

Fergie, so it's Lambert versus Moyes as Villa aim to rattle the Reds in

the weekend's big football game. And the band that's building up a huge

following in the United States, but how many people know about them back

home in Birmingham? Network Rail is launching a new

campaign to cut the number of accidents on its escalators. It's

released CCTV film showing the dangers they can pose. Last year, 32

people fell at New Street Station in Birmingham.

I should not last. Whatever they were watching was certainly

entertaining. It couldn't be a Network Rail safety video, could it?

Oh yes, it is. Dull and corporate, it isn't. A new campaign about the

dangers of escalators ` the man you've just seen fall was a real

life passenger in Birmingham. Last year, 400 people took a tumble on a

network where a skeleton. 32 of them were in New Street Station. There

are 20 escalators here.. It is a like kind `` light`hearted reminder

to people to take extra care on the escalators. Take a bit of extra time

I don't try and run up the escalators. If you have luggage or a

buggy, use the lift. The video should be on public display in the

next few days. Onto sport now ` Dan's here. And

another intriguing weekend ahead in the Premier League in many different

ways. Yes. When Sir Alex Ferguson won his first League title with

Manchester United in 1993, Aston Villa were their closest

challengers. But in the 40 league matches between the two clubs since,

Villa have only won twice. Now though Sir Alex is gone, so could

this be the weekend that Villa finally break that stranglehold?.

Even the most die`hard Aston Villa fan must be sick of seeing this game

now. The constant reminder that August 1995 marked their last home

league victory over Manchester United is a major irritation. But

could this be the weekend Villa finally end that unwanted record? We

have to give the fans something to shout about. If we can do that, they

will be behind us. It will be a great atmosphere. If we can play a

good game, we will see. The two managers certainly have plenty in

common. Born in Glasgow, they both played for Celtic, but while Lambert

went on to win the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, Moyes'

playing career never reached the same heights. In 1990 he was

sweating through Shrewsbury's pre`season training session with the

army in Telford. That was murder. It is not easy to get over some of

these. As a manager Lambert's greatest achievement has been back

to back promotions to lift Norwich into the Premier League. Moyes also

won promotion with Preston before 11 years at Everton, which saw him

voted manager of the year three times. Any manager, doesn't matter

who it was or what country they came from, any manager would have trouble

after the most successful manager Britain has ever produced. So I

think the criticism is a bit over the top. But at least Villa fans do

have some more recent happy memories, because it's four years

almost to the day since Gabby Agbonlahor scored this winner at Old

Trafford. So what can we expect from Villa tomorrow?

Well, they're hard to predict. Just look at the last two matches. A

surprise win at high`flying Southampton ` and then they lost to

Fulham who had lost their previous six! And their home record's not

great is it? There is a feeling that they are better away from home. But

despite Man Utd's informed, Villa are outsiders to win. Let's talk

about Albion now. They have had a bit of a wobble. It is a wobble. The

2`0 defeat against Norwich City they are now down to 15th place, just two

points above the bottom three. Head coach Steve Clarke says there are

number of clubs at risk of relegation this season. Sometimes it

is three, sometimes it is X. This year, there are a lot more than

that. It has been an unusual season. Nobody really cast adrift.

Maybe Sunderland will be thinking they have to pick up a couple of

wins soon. And of course, you won't miss a kick of the weekend's action

on BBC local radio. We also have BBC sports personality of the year. Good

luck to our lad, Barry. Now, you might say Bluegrass music

is more Birmingham, Alabama than Birmingham, West Midlands, but a

band from Kings Heath in Birmingham are proving us wrong. The Toyhearts

have recently returned from a five`month tour of Texas. As their

reputation grows, a crime novelist has even incorporated them into her

latest novel. Bluegrass and the Toyhearts, from

Birmingham. That is not Birmingham, Alabama, as you would be forgiven

for thinking. This family affair have roots firmly in Kings Heath. We

grew up with our father playing us a lot of different types of music when

we were young, and a lot of the grass and Western swing. Until we

went to school, we thought that was normal for a family in Kings Heath

to be exposed to this type of music. But we have always loved it,

and it has come from there. The first time we saw an American band

come over here and play, it really blew us away. We decided then, dad,

you play the banjo, we want to start one of these bands. It may seem like

taking coals to Newcastle, but the Toyhearts have just spent five

months in Austin, Texas, one of the hotbeds of country music. They are

very welcoming of the fact that you come from somewhere else, and you

know so much about their music full of so we have always gone down well

in that respect. One admirer of the band, Birmingham based crime writer

Maureen Carter. So impressed, they feature in her latest novel Child's

Play. Great band, aren't they? If you ask me, it is in the genes.

Sarah frowned. Lovely young women in addresses and vertiginous heels.

They are sisters. That is their dad. There is huge chemistry between

that band, the family bond. That is not the case throughout the book. So

it gives me an opportunity to let my detective have some reflection. This

is another twist we did not expect it. It is a tick of our bucket list

to be in a crime novel. We need more women in rock 'n' roll and

literature, definitely. I Bluegrass meets blue murder. Am on the same

page. Well, it's been a miserable Friday,

grey and damp.I am hoping it'll be better for the weekend. Here's

Rebecca. Not actually. It is going to be a

grey affair. More of the same of what we have seen today this

weekend. We are using more of your weather pictures in our bulletins,

but how do you know you are getting the best shot? Here is my guide on

how to take the perfect weather photo. In the West Midlands, we are

blessed with some beautiful scenery, so there are plenty of opportunities

to get a great that. Staffordshire photographer Chris Hap

and knows how to make the best of the landscape . Rule number one, try

and get out early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is

at its lowest in the sky. Number two, try and imagine splitting your

photo into three sections and try and place key parts of the photo in

them. You don't always have to photograph wide`open landscapes, you

can focus on little details. But even if you haven't got the latest

high`tech camera, you can still get good results. Very nice. You have

got your horizon on the bottom third. There are some nice autumn

colour in the foreground and nice detail in the trees. Now it is your

turn. We need your pictures, but they need to be in landscape. Send

them in. Include your name and where you took it.

This is my attempt. I am sure you can do much better, so have a go,

but include your name. It is not going to be the perfect conditions

for taking those pictures this weekend. It is a grey affair. We

have 20 of rain to come, and those winds are picking up. The

high`pressure which has been keeping us settled over the last few weeks

has now moved away. The rain has now largely cleared away. Behind that,

things are turning but a clearer. We still have some residual showers to

come this evening, but under the clear skies, temperatures will fall

away. The winds are picking up, so although they will drop into single

figures, it will help keep the frost at bay. To start off tomorrow, it

will be dry, with brightness, but not for long. The cloud will come in

from the West. Most of us will keep the dry conditions for Match Of The

Day before we see the rain moving in. It will be slow`moving, but

there will be quite a bit of it. It is mild, but the winds are

strengthening, making it feel fresher. That rain starts to push

across us through Saturday night and sticks with us. Behind that, we will

get clear skies. Temperatures will again fall away but with those

winds, we will keep the frost at bay, so it will be a mild start to

Sunday, but very similar to tomorrow. Those winds will be

strengthening for a blustery day. We have two weather fronts, one from

the north, one from the south. We could fall in the middle and avoid

them completely, or we could see both of them. This marks the start

of an unsettled period as we move into the start of next week.

Tonight's headlines: Concern is growing for thousands of Syrian

refugees facing an exceptionally harsh winter storm and freezing

temperatures, with only tents for shelter.

A warrant Christmas partygoers after dozens of women are sexually

assaulted by unlicensed taxi drivers trawling the street is. That was the

Midlands to. I will be back at ten o'clock with