10/01/2014 Midlands Today

from the Atlantic. Thank you very much. That's it from us.

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

woman's charged with slavery offences after four men are found in

squalid conditions at her home. Plans announced to create one of the

biggest army bases in the country. We'll be reporting live from the

barracks in Stafford. We hope people put down roots year as a result.

Also tonight: As the new coach flies in from Andalusia to Albion, we find

out more about the man charged with revitalising the Hawthorns.

Festive leftovers. How the big cats of Dudley are making a meal of

discarded Christmas trees. And we should get something more

pleasant this weekend but will the floodwaters finally go down? I will

have the full weather forecast later.

Good evening. And we start with breaking news that a woman from

Birmingham has been charged with slavery offences after four men were

found living in squalid conditions at her house. The men were

discovered after a search by West Midlands Police and the National

Crime Agency. This latest development follows a number of high

profile cases of alleged slavery in recent months across the UK. Our

special correspondent Peter Wilson reports.

Christmas cards and decorations in the window of a bungalow at the

centre of a police investigation into allegations of slavery. Four

men were found in what the police described as a squalid conditions.

One local businessman says the men were remaining ends and had been

involved in the scrap metal business. I have heard that they

have been problems after dark. When we came home on Monday we found the

police searching the back. A 54`year`old woman, Vasilica

Panaghita, today appeared in court after police visited the property

and found four men living in a lean to building next to the bungalow. It

is thought those men had been at the property for 12 months. They are now

being cared for by the Salvation Army. West Midlands police say they

will not be revealing any more information about the enquiry

although it does include the work of the National crime agency. This

morning a 54`year`old woman was formally charged with four counts of

knowingly holding a person in servitude or slavery.

Coming up later in the programme: The flags are out for JCB as they

announce plans for a ?30 million championship golf course next to its

world headquarters. A multi`million pound boost for the

Beacon Barracks in Stafford. The Ministry of Defence has announced

it's investing more than ?50 million in building nearly 350 new homes on

the base. It's to provide accommodation for soldiers from the

16 Signal Regiment and one Armoured Division Signal Regiment who are

being relocated back to the Midlands from Germany. Bob Hockenhull

reports. Out training in the winter sunshine.

The soldiers at Stafford are said to see their ranks more than double.

Two regiments will be joining them at the base next year. They will be

transferred from Germany as part of the governments plans to bring back

15,000 personnel to seven key military sites across the UK. It is

a great step forward for us. It is the culmination of a lot of hard

work. It means we will have three signal Regiment in one location. It

will enable us to work together more closely and provide a good hard for

the Army in the West Midlands. The land with 346 family homes will be

built is already being prepared. Besides the new homes, major

redevelopment of MOD Stafford is underway and will include new

technical workshops to maintain sophisticated communications

equipment. The plans mean there will be 1000 extra soldiers based here

from the summer of 2015. The total number of staff will be 1800. The

same that was here when the site was at its busiest in the 1960s. It is

hoped the extra numbers will give the town of Stafford and economic

left. More people coming in will liven up the town. At the moment it

is dead. We have got a Goodman literary heritage in Stafford and we

support our soldiers so I think it will be good. No problem with that

being ex`forces myself. The new homes will be built by 6000 staff.

We are very keen to get onto the job. Preparations are already in

hand and we are excited to get on`site and deliver the scheme. It

offers jobs for the business. It is good news all round. The Ministry of

Defence said that as well as providing economic benefits year,

moving troops from Germany will save ?350 million year.

And Bob is outside the barracks this evening. So great news for a

barracks that at one time was at risk of closure? That's right. These

plans will make Stafford one of the country's key military towns but the

question is can it cope? With me now is the leader of Staffordshire

county council. You're going to have a lot more people here. Can you

actually cope as far as infrastructure is concerned? We have

known that the Army are coming back to Stafford for a while and there is

a new roundabout being built. We own a site for a new school which will

be completed by September 2015. That will hold 426 children. We have also

got retail development going on in the town so this is really good news

for Stafford. I suppose your game is Germany's loss. Do you think these

soldiers will become fully integrated in Stafford?

Staffordshire has got a long and proud connection with the Armed

Forces. We have signed the arms forces covenant. `` Armed Forces. I

am sure local people will make them welcome just as the Army I welcome

into ourselves. Thank you very much. 346 homes have to be built by the

sum of 2015. There is a lot of development work to do but the

builders say they are confident they will complete on time and they are

looking forward to welcoming this military personnel to the heart of

England. Businesses, the emergency services

and people living in a rural part of Herefordshire are celebrating today

as they're finally able to get a quality mobile phone signal. The

village of Ewyas Harold has been mobile black spot for years, causing

problems for people trying to live in the 21st century. But as Cath

Mackie reports, that's all about to change.

Richard Baker has driven to the butchers in Ewyas Harold. He is a

first responder for the ambulance service and this is one of the few

spots he can get a phone signal. I've had two messages which have

just come through. These were timed earlier this morning so the coverage

has been patchy again. It might be a matter of life and death. Yes. Poor

mobile phone coverage is a big problem affecting many rural areas

and many people. I have a lot of friends abroad so it can be quite

frustrating. I have given up using a mobile phone because we have no

signal at home. I have been walking around a lot today like this. The

service is intermittent. It is nonexistent in some surrounding

villages. But there are hopes that something up they will lead to a

better service. There is a mobile phone transmitter on this pub and

its range is between 500 metres and a kilometre. There are two others in

the village. This technology is different to conventional mobile

phone masts because it uses small pieces of equipment that can be

fitted on the side of existing buildings. Mobile phone companies

have come in for criticism for the lack of rural coverage. They often

cite difficult geography. As technology increases it becomes less

of a luxury and more of an incessantly. `` a necessity. Any

improvement is brilliant. But we need a lot more. The trial will be

monitored closely and if it is deemed a success it may be the way

ahead for other religious. `` other rural areas.

The new West Bromwich Albion head coach, Pepe Mel, says he's always

dreamed of being involved in the Premier League. The Spaniard has

signed an 18 month contract and he'll watch the team for the first

time at Southampton tomorrow. His appointment ends the club's four

week search for a successor to Steve Clarke. Dan Pallett reports.

So they've finally got their man. After four weeks of searching, West

Bromwich Albion have chosen Pepe Mel to be their new head coach. And he's

told Spanish radio he's delighted. It is something you always dream of

once you become a coach because of the Premier League attracts everyone

in football. I am looking forward to sampling it. So what do we know

about him? Well, he's been a manager for 14 years in Spain. He helped

Real Betis qualify for Europe last season. And he has other talents

including writing a novel called 'The Liar'. But it's his work with

Betis that's caught the eye. They were very exciting to watch and had

a great season last year and he was the architect of that on a small

budget. He did a great job and circumstances went against them at

the end `` start of this season and he lost his job. He is a good

character as well. I found out the news last night. He took real Bettis

at. He is renowned for attacking foot also it sounds like a good

appointment. I don't know much about him. I know he is a foreign manager.

I would personally have gone for an English manager. It is a big gamble.

They have come into other clubs and have been big mistakes. It has been

a big few weeks at West Brom. But Pepe Mel's task is simple success is

keeping them in the Premier League. But for the time being, caretaker

head coach Keith Downing will be in charge for one last game at

Southampton before handing over to Mel. The Spanish press are positive

about him. He is a name I was not aware of until a few weeks ago. He

fits the criteria and wants to play positive football. It is a new way

forward for the football club so it's exciting. Downing and his

backroom staff have stopped the rot at the Hawthorns and kept them out

of the Premier League's bottom three. Now it's up to Pepe Mel to

make sure they stay there. Dan's here now. So Albion have

finally got their man and he seems an interesting character. Well there

aren't too many novelists in football management. It sounds like

his style of football might suit the English game quite well. And I'm

sure Albion fans will have a wry smile when they hear he's been used

to operating on a tight budget. Of course he's yet another overseas

manager in the Premier League, that's half the division now. And we

understand that Mel's English isn't the best and he'll be working with a

translator, certainly to start with. We thought he'd get the job two

weeks ago. The story then was about him wanting to bring in his own

coaches. Has that all been resolved? Maybe not. Albion have always

maintained that they want continuity and keep the same coaching set`up.

But in that radio interview we heard earlier, he also said he was

bringing in some of his coaches in the summer so there's some

confusion. We should learn more when he holds his first press conference

towards the end of next week. The Staffordshire digger maker JCB's

unveiled plans for a ?30 million championship golf course next to its

world headquarters. The company says the course will help boost sales and

build global awareness of its brand. This follows the announcement the

company's planning to expand its factories and create 2,500 new jobs.

Here's our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper.

In 240 acres of rolling Staffordshire countryside, plans for

a championship golf course. The company's describing it as "the

biggest marketing tool in its history". We are establishing

ourselves strongly in India and China and Brazil and those are

markets where golf is growing very quickly. It is all about the JCB

brand. This is a scale model of the course. The design team behind it

are responsible for other high profile courses which have hosted

the Ryder Cup. It is a great bonus that we have got the Uttoxeter canal

and we can make somatic use of that. We have used the Woodlands and the

hedgerows. We try to fit the golf course into the landscape we have.

Although it'll be JCB customers who use the course, the intention is

it'll have the potential to host a major tournament. Particularly with

the ambition of holding a European tour event, I am thinking in four

years time the likes of Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy will walk these

fairways and it can only be good for golf in the area. This 18th Century

mansion is Woodseat Hall. It's at the heart of the development. It'll

be converted into the clubhouse, with five star accommodation. The

hall has been empty for more than half a century and the conversion

plans are ambitious. More than 7.5 year and pounds will be spent here

alone. And families in surrounding villages have already been consulted

on the proposals. At the end of the day it will fetch more jobs and the

area which intern will help me in the pub. It will encourage people to

come to the area and that would bring people in. If permission's

granted, building could start by the summer. The company says this is an

opportunity to drive its future plans for business growth.

This is our top story tonight: A Birmingham woman's charged with

slavery offences after four men are found in squalid conditions at her

home. Also in tonight's programme: The delight of festive leftovers.

How the animals of Dudley Zoo are making the most of discarded

Christmas trees. And on the eve of the 60th

anniversary of the first TV weather forecast, a look back at our own

esteemed meteorological prognosticators.

It's a busy time of year for sheep farmers but a new report says many

of them are earning a lot less from farming than they could. And, by

copying the way the best sheep farmers work, they could

significantly boost their income ahead of what could be a tricky

twelve months for the industry. Here's our Rural Affairs

Correspondent, David Gregory`Kumar. It's so cramped his boots stick out

the bottom, but Graham Warner's ultrasound system reveals every

sheep's secrets. Twins. You have got one lamb on the screen. Another one

comes up over the top of it. On this Albrighton farm, those mums with

triplets with an orange spot and more importantly extra nutrition

during pregnancy. Sheep farming is all about the numbers. It is also

about the survival rates of those lambs when they are born. There is

massive variations on that from farm to farm. Now experts want to try and

do something about it. Industry body EEEblex, based at Stoneleigh in

Warwickshire, says the top third of farms have animals worth

significantly more than average, ?30 more, and they also produce seven

extra lambs per 100 ewes. What we're trying to do is highlight these

figures and say, have a look at your own situation and see if you can

pull your own figures together and compare them to the national

average. See if you can identify those areas where you see you have a

weakness where they could be room for improvement. Thanks to the

weather last year, we're expecting a bumper lambing season. It is for the

important to get the body condition right in the autumn and with the

late summer weather this year, it helped a great deal. We are

expecting a fairly high lamb crop this year. The question is, will all

our sheep farmers be able to take advantage of the head start nature

has given them this year A police officer who claimed to have

witnessed the so`called Plebgate row in Downing Street between Sutton

Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell and Met Police officers has admitted lying.

Keith Wallis pleaded guilty in court to misconduct in a public office.

The incident led to Andrew Mitchell resigning from his job as chief

whip. Well, our Political Editor, Patrick Burns, is here. So does this

increase the chances of Mr Mitchell returning to the cabinet? It does

not harm his chances. What is significant about the events of

today is that David Cameron has not exactly gone out of his way to

comment directly on this. Today, he issued this statement welcoming that

guilty plea and saying that the actions of the officer in question

were completely unacceptable. That is an action he has taken on his own

behalf. Andrew Mitchell and self says he welcomes the fact that

justice is being done. There is a lot of justice yet to be done and he

is hinting at ten other cases involving police officers. So the

question is how far does this have to go in the court before Mr

Mitchell is deemed to have been sufficiently re`ability did for a

return to the top ranks? That is an interpretation which says as a

matter of political judgement that point may not be far off. You also

have news about the developing argument over planning policies and

up surprise intervention by a Conservative politician. The

Conservative MP for Stratford`upon`Avon said that the

development of housing in rural areas could be the defining issue in

the countryside at the next general election because of the demands of

property developers. Under the Labour government we had eco`towns

and Stratford`upon`Avon which the Labor Department had to abandon and

one of our senior MPs says they would build five new towns. We're

not even building half the number of homes we need to keep up with

demand. That is a real problem there and people and families. It used to

take an average three years for a family to save for a deposit and now

it can take 20 or more years. In that shot you a love scene changed

Seymour who is top of the candidates list for UKIP who are celebrating

too conservative defections in Dudley.

And Patrick will be back with Sunday Politics this Sunday at 11:00am here

on BBC One. The production company behind the

hit BBC Two drama 'Peaky Blinders' is holding open auditions in

Birmingham tomorrow. The programme is based on true events in Digbeth

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It follows a gang who

wore flat caps with razor blades hidden in the peaks. The show's

producers are looking for boys between the ages of 13 and 19 and

they say you don't need to have any acting experience. The central roles

we are looking for former real part in the family story. `` form a real

part. Christmas may be over for us, but

the big cats at a Dudley Zoo are still enjoying the festive spirit.

That's because zookeepers have been putting old Christmas trees into

their enclosures for them to play with. And, as Ben Godfrey found out,

it's the smell of the trees that really keeps them interested.

At Dudley Zoo, there's no such thing as an unwanted Christmas tree. We're

delivering some belated festive gifts to two tigers called Joao and

Daseep. That is a tiger down there. They may look a little shrivelled to

us but to these predators, the trees are the latest in must`have toys. I

have brought my own Christmas tree from home. The local folks have got

in touch. And that's because they want to keep a lid on the

excitement. Take Daisy the Carpathian Lynx. She's intoxicated

by the smell of the pine needles. Scientific studies tell us they give

her a sense of euphoria. Think how the scent of a forest wafts through

your living room. Her compound is awash with a comforting smell of the

wild. And she may even find a mate. It is like perfume or aftershave.

They follow trails which replicate the wild. Many of the 50 donated

Christmas trees will be recycled into wood`chip, to act as nesting

for other animals. But just like the New Year sales, the clamour to get

your hands on a bargain is fierce. Rebecca Wood is here with the

weather and there's a significant anniversary tomorrow for the TV

weather presenter, isn't there? Yes, Nick. 60 years ago today,

weather forecasting began on the BBC. But it wasn't until 1993 that

Midlands Today got our first dedicated weather presenter and

she's still a familiar face on our screens today. I've been looking

back through the archives. Shefali Oza has delivered the

weather forecast to BBC Midlands Today viewers for over 20 years from

all over the region and in all conditions ` sunshine, rain, wind,

or the forecaster's favourite, snow! I am not in the warmth of the

studio. I am in the freezing outdoors. Of course, she's had a

little bit of help along the way with a dedicated team of weather

enthusiasts. All providing the latest information on the weather

and how it can affect us from a variety of locations. You could

splash yourself regularly with cold water. Today, the weather team in

Birmingham is made up of Shefali and me. With help from the Met Office

and the latest technology, we try to keep you up to date, whatever the

weather. Well, the outfits and technology may

have changed but unfortunately it seems like we're not getting much of

a break from the usual rain. That said, tomorrow is looking much

better. Some sunny spells, but also feeling cold. We can expect some

chilly nights over the next few days, and after a brief break the

rain is back by Sunday. Tonight we'll see a band of rain moving

through the region. Now it is breaking up as it crosses us, and it

is deteriorating through the nest few hours. Not lots of rainfall

expected from it, but it's just adding to the saturated ground. Once

that band clears away, behind that skies will clear and temperatures

will plummet. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for icy

stretches for tomorrow morning. So a cold start to Saturday, but it's

going to be a pleasant day. Some good spells of sunshine, cold and

crisp. Lighter winds, and the sunny spells will mean that it doesn't

feel too bad, temperatures will be around where we'd expect them to be

at this time of year. Once the sun goes down tomorrow temperatures will

plummet, and with a little more moisture in the air some fog patches

will develop, and there will be a widespread frost. But through the

early hours ahead of the next weather system moving in, the winds

will pick up and temperatures will start to rise. And this is that next

system. Again not a huge amount of rainfall from it, 10mm`15mm, but

once again it's adding to what we already have on the ground, and

prolonging the drying out period. So ahead of that we'll see cloud

building. A few showers are possible, and then the rain moves

in. With the cloud and the fog about and limited brightness temperatures

are going to struggle, and as winds pick up it'll feel a little raw out

there. But the pattern as we head into next week is an unsettled one.

Plenty more rain in the forecast, not great news for those places

already under water. It is feeling a little colder too.

Tonight's headlines from the BBC: A police officer admits he lied in the

Plebgate affair that led to the resignation of cabinet minister

Andrew Mitchell of Sutton Coldfield. A Birmingham woman's charged with

slavery offences after four men are found in squalid conditions at her

home. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be

back at 10:00pm with your latest update, including the Worcester

Warriors rugby result away to Sale Sharks. Have a good evening. Bye for

now. A tenth of a second

could be the difference