23/07/2014 Midlands Today


23/07/2014

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they will be some sunshine in between a band of heavy and thundery

:00:00.3:59:59

showers and it will be notably What did you say to me? You heard

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what I said. The woman involved tells us "We

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need police ` but not like him." A packed Wolverhampton Civic Hall

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pays tribute to Bob Jones, West Midlands? first Police

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and Crime Commissioner. Rebuilding the economy brick

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by brick ` the impact Back home, ten`year`old Ben Baddeley

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out of hospital ` after an anonymous donor paid

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for his life`changing operation. And for some parts of the country is

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was the hottest day of the year so far, but it's not as though we

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were exactly lacking ` and with temperatures still rising this week

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there's everything to play for. A Staffordshire police officer has

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been suspended, after a video posted online appeared to show him

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threatening to "knock a woman out". The force is investigating the

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complaint ` and has also referred the matter to the Independent

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Police Complaints Commission. The woman involved, Nikki Wright,

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has given her first interview to our This is the centre of Hanley,

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filmed on a smart phone, in What did you say? I will knock you

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out. What did you say? You said you would knock her out?

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Nikki Wright is the woman the officer's referring to.

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She says the incident unfolded as she was trying to help

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He gave me a bump on my arm, he snatches me. As I stopped myself

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from getting any closer, his hand came up, smack, in my face. On my

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neck, he slapped me. He grabbed me to the floor. That is when I shout.

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I dare you! He lets me go. He let me go because he knows if I got

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arrested, the first thing I will say is he has hit me.

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This is Trinity Street ` the area where the video was filmed.

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Staffordshire Police have begun an investigation.

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CCTV from around this area will form part of that investigation.

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The events are likely to have been captured on the cameras police

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officers carry. It comes at a time when the Police and Crime

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Commissioner is placing a focus on transparency. I want a swift

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investigation. We need an answer as soon as possible. It is about making

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sure that police officers behave properly, professionally, even the

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most difficult circumstances. Nikki Wright says she's sorry

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for swearing during the incident ` but wants an apology from

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the officer who's been suspended. The investigation's expected to

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be complete within a few weeks. Whatever its outcome,

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this footage illustrates how quickly images can be shared via social

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media ` and how footage can have A strong response to this story

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on our Facebook page today, and The police officer

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didn't do what he said. I don't think he should

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have been suspended. An alternative view from

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Lee Condliffe. He should not have threatened to

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knock out someone while being If he was being threatened or

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punched, then surely he has the right to defend himself,

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even if only verbally. People think they can get away with

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threatening behaviour towards At the very worst,

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it was perhaps a poor use of words, Of course, if the troublemakers

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were sober, they wouldn't be Poor choice of words,

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but that is all. Hope he gets nothing more than

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a talking to and the matter closed. As a police officer,

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he should know better. Police officers receive a high level

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of training for such situations. His actions are showing

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Staffordshire police in a bad light. Amber Patterson's

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view is quite clear. Not good enough,

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just not good enough. If they can't cope with high stress

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situations, Unacceptable behaviour

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from the police officer. It's his job and part

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of that is to deal with stuff More than 800 people have gathered

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to pay tribute to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Bob

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Jones, who died earlier this month. Police, community and civic leaders

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` as well as Mr Jones' many friends from the Campaign for Real Ale `

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joined his family at a celebration of his life in his home city of

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Wolverhampton, where he served as a The numbers grew and grew `

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hundreds turning out to pay public tribute to a man who gave

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his life to public service. Police officers provide a guard of

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honour for his coffin, the mourners There were tears `

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but there was gratitude too from This was a man of outstanding

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ability. A fine mind and a man with a mission. Bob, my friend, we will

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never, ever forget you. APPLAUSE

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Bob was exceptionally intelligent and his knowledge of policing was

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second to none. He was assertive and had a quiet confidence, but never

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adopted an air of superiority. He carried his significant

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responsibilities quietly. After 30 years as a councillor,

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in 2012 Bob Jones became the West Midlands? first Police

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and Crime Commissioner, striking up a close working relationship with

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the chief constable ` who noticed a change in the

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commissioner's unique dress sense. The old red anorak was retired and a

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new blue anorak was unveiled to the expectant world. He remained at to

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lately unchanged by high office. The abiding colour was read, not black,

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and not to Bob Jones' socialist principles. The colour of vibrancy

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and warms, a colour with which to celebrate a life. Today, people have

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paid their respects and I join with them to be part of a celebration of

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a man who contributed so much to the West Midlands. He knew my name and I

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was a needle in a haystack. A lovely person. A hard`working, loyal

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person. A loss to the community. Aleida, the bloke at the front.

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Bob Jones loved his country, its countryside, castles, real ale,

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steam railways and above all his family.

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Police have charged a former West Midlands MEP with money laundering

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Nikki Sinclaire, who lost her seat in the European Parliament after

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the May elections, is due before Birmingham Magistrates in September.

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Sian, what more have West Midlands Police said?

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Well, that it was their economic crime

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unit that charged Nikki Sinclaire earlier today, and that she's due

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She's facing claims that she made "false and dishonest submissions for

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travelling expenses and transferred the proceeds of fraud through

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It's alleged to have taken place between October 2009 and July 2010,

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which was her first year in office as an MEP.

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I spoke with her on the phone this afternoon and shortly afterwards

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she released a statement saying "I strongly refute these charges and

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I am certain I shall be found innocent of these ludicrous

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She was originally arrested back in 2012 and has been

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West Midlands Police also said today that the three other people who were

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also arrested in connection with this will face no further action.

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An urgent appeal has been issued to find two children who have

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gone missing in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham.

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Saina Sava, who's 11, and four`year`old Adi Sava,

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were last seen in Wright Road at around midday.

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It's thought the pair have a black and red pushchair with them.

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A man's body was discovered in a burnt`out car in Birmingham.

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Police were called to Fentham Road in Erdington last night following

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They arrested a man a short while later.

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The dead man has not been identified.

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A former care worker from Birmingham has appeared before magistrates

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in Dudley charged with seven counts of sexual assault and one of rape.

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Dauda Kamara is alleged to have carried out the attacks against

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The 45`year`old, who's originally from Sierrra Leone,

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will appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court in October.

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The National Association of Head Teachers is calling

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for the Birmingham City Council commissioned report into the

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The union says the local authority's investigation wasn't as thorough

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as the government report into allegations of a hardline Muslim

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It believes the council missed crucial evidence.

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There are clearly things that the council did not know about, were not

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privy to. In light of the revelations and the disturbing

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findings of the enquiry, the council do now step back and review its

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findings in light of the enquiry and look at the recommendations.

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It was one of the defining images of the recession.

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Millions and millions of bricks left unused, stockpiled,

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as the construction industry collapsed like a house of cards.

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Six years on and it's a very different story.

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Demand for bricks to build new homes is now so great ` it's outstripping

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supply, helping to bring one redundant factory back to life.

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Stanbrook Abbey near Worcester is undergoing major refurbishment.

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On`site you'll see carpenters, electricians and plasterers.

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What you won't see are bricklayers, because there aren't any bricks to

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Normally you'd expect bricks to be on a three or four week delivery

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and on this project it's about a 14 week delivery period , so yes, we

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Here at least there is a lot of other work to do while they wait

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for the bricks to arrive but for others it is causing real problems.

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We have a project not far from here that lost six weeks

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on an order of 360,000 bricks that was suddenly stopped

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because production ran out, and we had to source alternative bricks.

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But the fact that the demand for bricks is outstripping supply

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is actually a good sign for the construction industry as a whole.

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You don't have to look much further than this brickworks in Hartlebury

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This place was mothballed in 2008, when the construction industry

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Now it has been brought back to life.

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Because more demand means the construction industry is building

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The company which owns the Hartlebury site also

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They are looking to recruit 36 full`time workers

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at the Worcestershire plant, including apprentices.

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This year we will probably build 165,000 houses in the UK.

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Compare that with 2012, when it was as low as 120.

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The government quite rightly suggests we should be building

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a minimum of 200,000 houses going forward so

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it is not just today's demand, it is the demand going forward which gives

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It is a far cry from 2008, when millions

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Now millions are being imported to cope with demand.

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We are getting some consequences of that which is a shortage

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I would rather have that than sitting around twiddling our thumbs,

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wondering where the next project will come from.

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The brick shortage is expected to level out, but the industry is

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hopeful their new`found confidence will last a lot longer.

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Suspended ` a Staffordshire police officer taken

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off duty after he appeared to threaten to knock a woman out.

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We'll find out how much longer these high temperatures will last.

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Shefali will be here with the forecast.

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What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner ` we

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Very rare leopard cubs have been drawing in the clouds. `` crowds.

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A ten`year`old boy is back at home after undergoing a life`changing

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Ben Baddeley, who has cerebral palsy, was due to

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have the surgery on the NHS in February ` but it was cancelled.

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His parents were able to pay for the operation privately earlier

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this month, after an anonymous donor came forward.

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Our health correspondent Michele Paduano reports.

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Ben Baddeley is learning to walk, again, but the ten`year`old appears

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to be taking it in his stride. It feels loose. It is really easy. This

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was his gate before. In February, he was due to have an operation but the

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NHS stopped viewing `` stopped funding it. An NHS `` BBC Midlands

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viewer offered to pay for it after seeing this. His condition cuts the

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nerves and causes spasticity. That is taking it to a whole new level.

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Ben is having physiotherapy, but as his back strengthens it will become

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daily for at least a year. There is lots of strength in him. He gets it,

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he understands, which is half the battle. He understands that the

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harder he works, the better he gets. He works very hard. His mum is

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delighted. Before, his foot was so tense that his ankle, foot and toes

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moved as one. But now his toes wriggle and his foot moves and he

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can twiddle his ankle about. Everything has changed, his

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sleeping. Part of his improvement is in hand coordination. NHS England is

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going to start funding this operation again. 120 cases will be

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done, although none in the West Midlands and Oswestry has missed

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out. Then has to pay for his the physiotherapy, because he paid for

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the operation `` Ben has to pay for his physiotherapy. Seven months down

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the line, they are saying the complete opposite. They told us a

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load of rubbish and we have been through hell, when it could have

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been easier. It is not just the physiotherapy that is tough.

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Fly`tipping ` it's unsightly and a health hazard.

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Now a council in Shropshire is taking an unusual approach

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Telford and Wrekin Council is treating its

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latest outbreak as a crime scene, taping off the area and putting up

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signs warning people that it's a criminal offence to dump rubbish.

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Our reporter Amy Cole is on the Brookside estate in Telford `

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A discarded mattress, a child's scooter.

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Telford and Wrekin Council say it's had enough and is now treating this

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as a crime scene ` effectively sealing it off with tape

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They want to shame people into coming forward. They have been

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handing out leaflets. Will this be effective? The council work closely

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with the community. We need them on our side. We might have a short`term

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benefits if we come in for a period of time, but we need the public to

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informers of the problems they are seeing and individuals that may be

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causing the problem. We are on a bigger state here. People know each

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other. If they have information they might be fearful of reprisals and

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not come forward. That may be the case. We will try to ensure we do

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not compromise people who do come forward. Is it expensive to dump a

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mattress? It is quite cheap. We offer discounts. We have looked at

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our pricing. When prices have been introduced, fly`tipping hasn't gone

:19:19.:19:23.

up. It is just people not acting responsibly. The council will remove

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this on Friday. It was dumped on Monday night. They say anyone caught

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fly`tipping will face prosecution. Two

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of the world?s rarest big cats have been born at Twycross Zoo, on the

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Warwickshire`Leicestershire border. Amur leopards are on the brink

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of extinction in Russia ` and it's thought there are just 50

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of them living in the wild. Sarah Falkland's at the zoo

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for us now. Sarah ` any sign of the leopards,

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or are they camera`shy? Mum and one of the babies has come

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out. These cubs are seven weeks old. The staff have not been able to see

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what sex they are. They are incredibly rare. The birth was

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straightforward, we understand. Mum, Christa, is a three`year`old from

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the Czech Republic. The father was bred here in captivity at Twycross.

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It was a short, uncomplicated labour. There are two gorgeous cubs.

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They are coming out of the pen now. They have been drawing in the

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crowds. This is what some of the children said about them. It was

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amazing. I said, wow, I can't believe it. Amazing to see something

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like that. Very privileged, amazing. Would you like to take one home with

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you? Yes! And keep it at that age? Yes, it is a shame they grow up.

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They have gone back indoors. But they are very rare. The reason is

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because the habitat is being encroached upon all the time and

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they are being hunted. This is Dr Charlotte MacDonald to tell us more.

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How important are your two new cubs to the survival of the species? This

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species is on the brink of extinction. There are less than 50

:21:36.:21:40.

individuals in the wild. Every cubs that is born, whether in a zoo or in

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the wild, is vital. The breeding programme we are part of, we worked

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really hard to ensure they will not go extinct. What is the future for

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use two cubs? Will they be released into the wild? If a reintroduction

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proves possible, and it is being investigated, there is a possibility

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that could happen. Otherwise they will go to other zoos and become

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parents, hopefully. They are Amur leopards, and there has been plenty

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of loving around here. Time to introduce you to steam punks

:22:16.:22:22.

` people who celebrate Victorian One explanation

:22:23.:22:38.

of this cultural genre is "what the past would look like `

:22:39.:22:40.

if the future had happened sooner". A Midlands band is celebrating steam

:22:41.:22:42.

punk Steam punk,

:22:43.:22:44.

yesterday's future today. It's a sort of science`fiction

:22:45.:22:48.

celebration of all things 19th`century that typically

:22:49.:22:51.

features steam`powered machinery. And these boys from Birmingham and

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the Black Country are rocking it. Basically it is messing around

:22:53.:22:55.

with history, taking elements of history and bringing them straight

:22:56.:22:57.

up to date, trying to power the With a first record deal signed

:22:58.:23:00.

and videos shot, Birthrite gig around the country,

:23:01.:23:04.

living a dual existence. Mark, for instance,

:23:05.:23:09.

works in machinery design in Kings Norton, joining his eclectically

:23:10.:23:13.

dressed bandmates by night. My musical history is punk

:23:14.:23:19.

and glam rock, Adam Ant, Mixed in with the steam punk vision

:23:20.:23:24.

of military`wear and the badges and Influenced by the works

:23:25.:23:32.

of great writers like Bram Stoker with his Dracula and HG Wells and

:23:33.:23:38.

his famous Time Machine, treating I went along, I gained experience

:23:39.:23:43.

in handling the machine. The Midlands industrial heritage,

:23:44.:23:51.

the birthplace of the It's the ideal backdrop

:23:52.:23:53.

for steam punk, which pays homage to We had amazing industries throughout

:23:54.:23:58.

the Victorian period and a lot of the people who made their fortunes

:23:59.:24:05.

from business, from industry, actually poured that money and that

:24:06.:24:09.

expertise back into the community. No steam punk band sounds

:24:10.:24:16.

the same and coming from the Midlands it includes a large section

:24:17.:24:19.

of rock, celebrating the region I'm in danger of repeating myself `

:24:20.:24:24.

how much longer will this hot The hot weather is set to last for

:24:25.:24:57.

the next few days. Today, the highest temperature was in the South

:24:58.:25:02.

of the country, 29.4 Celsius. For us, 28 and 27 in Birmingham. Until

:25:03.:25:10.

an hour ago it was roasting on the balcony. Now the heat is beginning

:25:11.:25:15.

to ease to something more sumptuous and comfortable. If you are slapping

:25:16.:25:20.

on the sunscreen and topping up your tan and vitamin de, this hot weather

:25:21.:25:27.

is set to last through the weekend. It will come hand`in`hand with a few

:25:28.:25:33.

showers towards the end of Saturday and into Sunday. We are seeing a few

:25:34.:25:39.

showers breaking out even now. They are drifting up from the south`west

:25:40.:25:44.

and should continue into the early part of tonight. Later on, fading

:25:45.:25:49.

away. They are likely to be light. They seem to be dying a death as

:25:50.:25:56.

they move up from the south`west. There could be an odd heavy before

:25:57.:26:02.

they fade away. A clear night. An oppressive, sticky and stifling one.

:26:03.:26:06.

Temperatures a minimum of 16 Celsius. Very light winds. Clear

:26:07.:26:09.

skies. Through the morning tomorrow, as the winds turn to an

:26:10.:26:15.

easterly direction, it will cut off the flow from the North Sea cloud

:26:16.:26:21.

that we saw today. The morning will be sunny. It continues through the

:26:22.:26:25.

day. With the sunshine, the temperatures will rise a degree or

:26:26.:26:31.

so higher, highs of 28 or 29 Celsius. When you get the breeze

:26:32.:26:36.

like today, it cools things down. Tomorrow night, clear, cool. We have

:26:37.:26:41.

a system moving down from the north`west later on Saturday to

:26:42.:26:43.

introduce showers. The first bodies from the Malaysian

:26:44.:26:59.

airline crash in Ukraine arrive Suspended `

:27:00.:27:03.

a Staffordshire police officer taken off duty after he appeared to

:27:04.:27:08.

threaten to knock a woman out. We're not far off the

:27:09.:27:12.

Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with action

:27:13.:27:14.

getting under way tomorrow morning. The Midlands has athletes involved

:27:15.:27:17.

in cycling, swimming, And we'll have reports on the Games

:27:18.:27:19.

throughout the day. I'll be back later than usual

:27:20.:27:22.

tonight ` following the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games

:27:23.:27:27.

here on BBC 1`around 11:00pm.

:27:28.:27:31.

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