23/12/2016 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. the BBC's news teams where you are.

The headlines tonight: It's Frantic Friday with travellers

hitting roads, rail and airports for the Christmas getaway.

With a storm sweeping in from the west, we'll

have the very latest on any problems.

We are expecting the busiest festive season ever with around half a

million passengers travelling out over the two-week Christmas period.

We are alive at the network, the nerve centre of the regions motorway

network and assessing the impact storm Barbara.

Now, 16 months after his body was found by the M54,

We just need answers. We need answers and a funeral and really to

say goodbye properly. Little festive fun for professional

footballers with crucial fixtures Our special guests,

the Miltary Wives Choir from Cosford And as the sun sets on storm

Barbara, storm Conor is likely to have an impact on our Christmas

weather, but will we get any snow? It's been dubbed Frantic Friday

as people hit the roads, railways and airports to get away

to visit family and Add in the number of people

visiting their local shops for last minute presents and groceries

and the AA are estimating around 12 million cars will have been

on the roads today alone But, as well as congestion,

Storm Barbara could be making herself felt in the Midlands

with strong winds causing Sarah Bishop is at the

Highways England control How's it looking

this evening, Sarah? You know, despite the absolutely

atrocious weather we have had in the last few hours things haven't been

quite as frantic as I think the experts predicted. Behind me is the

amp 42. When did you last see it like that on a Friday night? It is

probably quieter than usual. Here we have the M6 looking quite clear but

the storm has wreaked havoc and we have had problems and it has been

really busy on public transport. Morning, how you? Are you for

Christmas? We are going to London, to our daughters. Who would fancy

driving from Stoke-on-Trent to London on frantic Friday? Many in

Staffordshire chose to let the train take the Yuletide strain. I am going

away to Hastings to see my family and I haven't seen them since last

Christmas. No idea what time I will get there. At Birmingham 's new

Street station they expect 200,000 people to pass through over the

holiday. The advice for anyone travelling on the train over this

period is to plan your journey well in advance and on the day of travel

please check before you travel at there are no train services on

Christmas Day itself. Network Rail say disruption will be minimal over

the holiday but they are warning that on the 27th services between

rugby and Stafford will be affected by work on the West Coast mainline.

We are going to Blackpool. Because we like it. And it's a nice hotel. I

get to spend time with my mum. Birmingham to Blackpool on frantic

Friday, no problem. National Express have put on an extra 60,000 seats to

cope with the festive influx on Christmas Day is no exception. We

have nine services leaving from here on Christmas Day with staff here to

support our customers and our drivers as well. We go to

destinations such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Heathrow Airport, London

Victoria, Bristol, and another of -- a number of other destinations en

route. For those driving themselves over 100 roadworks have been lifted

across the West Midlands but by mid morning the closure of M1 due to an

accident was having an impact. If you're heading to London and the

south-east this afternoon and early evening you should use the 40. As

well as that our key concern this afternoon and this evening is the

strong wind and potentially torrential rain which will be short

in duration but extremely heavy. Britain's wintry weather is of no

consequence if you are jetting off this Christmas. Birmingham Airport

reports a 20% increase in festive flyers and on Christmas Day itself

there will be 14,000 air passengers in and out of Birmingham, up an

incredible 82% on last year. For the last 15 years we have gone away for

Christmas and New Year. It is because of our jobs, it's the best

time to have. Christmas is the time to go to these countries and nice

warm weather and nice beaches and most people, what can you say. She

has got a point, hasn't she? Be a stormy weather has caused quite a

few problems. We have this picture of a family in Northfield in

Birmingham this afternoon who had quite a lucky escape when this big

tree came down in front of them in the storms. There has been quite a

serious accident on the M5 going south and thankfully no serious

casualties but that is not the end of it, there have been more

problems. Yes, there had been trees down on the motorway network as well

which we dealt with very quickly. There have been some other issues,

the usual bumps and bangs. Fortunately traffic levels have been

lied than usual and we would like to thank motorists for their help in

making the getaway much more smooth than we anticipated. The earlier

problems on the M1, what is the situation now? It has now fully

reopened and the Watford Gap services have reopened for business

but there is no traffic at the moment or any traffic delays on the

M1 southbound. We didn't have quite the frenetic traffic and chaos today

and the next spike to look out for is Boxing Day morning with everyone

going out shopping and then prior to that Christmas Day we have stormed

M1 coming, repeat what we have had today.

Thank you. -- storm Conor. But, while others may have

struggled to get away, there was some good news in Coventry

today with work on the notorious There's been absolute

gridlock there on occasions, whilst the junction has

been completely re-designed. It's taken major exploration work

spanning three years. It's taken major excavation work,

spanning three years, and costing more than ?100 million

to redesign, Tollbar Island. There have been endless queues

and much frustration. A nightmare. I have been here for

hours. It took me over an hour to get up the road last night.

But at last apart from one lane restriction,

Driving through Tollbar during the height of the roadworks

could have taken you hours but now, thanks to the new underpass,

The project also took six months longer than expected

because the wrong concrete was used on new bridges and had

It was too much for Lisa Crankshaw from Hinckley who used to travel

through the junction on the way to work.

Getting back in time for her daughter became almost impossible.

Some days I was the last parent to pick their child up and it was just

getting so stressful that I just had to, you know, rethink everything and

I decided that I was going to leave my job.

But at the Midlands Air Museum, which became stranded

on the wrong side of the roadworks, they're optimistic.

It has been a terrible nightmare. The last three years have been

horrendous for us, both fast getting in and for the customers getting

air, but it is something that we have had to deal with and thankfully

hopefully we are now in a situation where it stood get better.

The lane restrictions are due to be removed any time and then

the junction will be fully functioning in time

Well, wherever you're going over the next few days,

you can keep up to date with the travel news by listening

Eight years after he went missing, the family of Surjit Takhar

from the Black Country are appealing for help to find out

His body was found by the side of the M54 near Telford last year.

Here's our Special Correspondent Peter Wilson.

Surjit Takhar, a father of three, known as Skin to his friends,

In August last year his body was found by motorway maintenance

workers in a ditch by the side of the M54.

His ex-wife and his twin daughters visited the area

We just need answers. We need answers and a funeral and it is a

goodbye properly. We imagine all sorts in our Ed, I think about what

he looks like and what is left of him and we just want to him and let

him rest in peace, basically, lay him to rest.

The finding of human remains led first to an investigation

Once that was discovered police revealed that they're treating

At the time of his disappearance he was living alone in a flat in the

West Midlands. We know at that time he had been battling alcohol issues

and also may have had financial issues. I am keen for people to come

forward who may have information regarding the kind of lifestyle you

out which may help me formulate an understanding regarding his

disappearance. His family gathered at the site

where the body was discovered. There are people out there who know

something about him and what happened and how he got there and we

would appeal to those people to come forward and talk to the police. If

it is an anonymous so be about contact the police and let them

know, however small it is, contact them let them know.

A year ago a man did just that and telephoned the police

Detectives say that caller could help unlock

the mystery of Surjit Takhar's disappearance and death.

An NHS risk summit has been held in Worcestershire,

following safety fears over accident and emergency services.

The Worcestershire Royal Hospital, which has been running

at more than 100% full, has accepted it needs help.

The plan will involve stopping all non-urgent operations to ensure

that there are enough beds available to treat extremely ill patients.

Two men, one from Stoke-on-Trent, have been found guilty of using aid

convoys to send cash to extremists in Syria.

37-year-old Syed Hoque from the city and a 27-year-old from East London

were convicted at the Old Bailey of funding terrorism.

The taxi driver kidnapped and murdered by Islamic State

fighters, Alan Henning, was a volunteer for

The mother of a nine-year-old boy who died after a road accident

in Staffordshire has paid tribute to her tremendous son.

Zachary Barker died in hospital after the accident,

in Spring Gardens in Leek, on Saturday.

In a statement issued by Staffordshire Police,

his mother Stephanie said he was a lovely lad,

full of life and joy, and was always willing to help

Officers are searching for a group of men who attacked a man

on his driveway in Birmingham before stealing his car.

The 41-year-old had parked outside his home in Livingstone Road

when he was approached by one of the suspects who asked him

if he was OK before demanding his car keys.

The thieves eventually drove off in the man's blue Audi SQ5.

The owner of the car suffered only minor injuries.

A Worcestershire woman who's spent the last year looking

for her missing dog says she desperately needs to know

Max, an eight-year-old springer spaniel, went missing

on Christmas Day last year in Herefordshire.

But it's not just Max's family looking for him.

A group of complete strangers have given up their year

On Christmas Day last year, Max the springer spaniel went missing.

His family from Malvern began a desperate search.

I don't know if you remember last Christmas Day. It was kind of etched

into my head. It hammered it down on Christmas night and I was out

walking and looking for him in the Christmas tree feels. I was soaked.

It was in these fields around Much Cowarne in Herefordshire

Hundreds joined the search as it turned from days,

We come out to walk through and think if there was anything that we

missed or any pile that we haven't looked in or any in Sherbrooke that

we haven't had a look at, but the literary isn't, within five miles, I

think we can say that every inch has been uncovered in the last months.

Emotionally she is in a time warp and it is very hard to forward from

that. Steph Edwards from Hereford

and Dawn Smith from Kempsey near Worcester, had never met Max,

but became part of team of nine or ten people,

all complete strangers to the family, who decided to give

up their year to help run Max's Facebook page and try

and find him. If you don't love animals that you

will probably find it difficult to understand why we would do that. The

family on Macs have got to me so I don't have a break from it, it is

what I want to do. I constantly look on Facebook and at various rescue

site said anything, just to see if there is a glimpse of him.

Amanda's slowly coming to terms with the fact that she may

never see Max again, but refuses to give up hope.

Life has to go on but it doesn't have to, it doesn't ever leave you.

My evenings are looking for him. I look on the Internet every night,

when I'm not at work, and only closure.

For Amanda, her family and all those who run his page,

the greatest present they could get this Christmas is an answer

Thanks for joining us on this last full BBC

Coming up, we have something rather special!

It's been a stormy start to the Christmas period but to cheer us up

this lot will be back with a real festive treat a little bit later.

We all know and love the traditional image of Christmas,

snow-dusted landscapes, sparkling decorations and choirs

wassailing away under star-spangled winter skies.

But how did we arrive at Christmas as we know it today?

Well, a Shropshire baker will be returning to TV on Christmas Day,

stepping back in time to the Victorian period.

Here's our Arts Reporter Satnam Rana.

Making mince pies in a more modern way.

John Swift is the fifth generation of bakers in his family business

Come on, it is Christmas, so you are helping.

So when he was asked to take part in BBC Two's programme

Victorian Bakers At Xmas, it was another chance

Not only are they using meat and alcohol entry also it, it was to

begin with 12 days of festive, not just one day, which, to be fair, 12

is better than one, isn't it? It is a lot of mince pies! It is a lot of

mince pies. The show was filmed at Blists Hill

Victorian Town museum in Telford. Four professional bakers

create seasonal treats. Historians Alex Langlands

and Annie Gray look at how customss emerged when Queen Victoria came

to the thrown in 1837, into what we now see

as a traditional British Christmas. The perfect Christmas will be masses

of baked goods and even more alcohol.

For John it's a follow on from his TV debut in January

when he featured in Victorian Bakers.

I'm doing public talks in talking to W eyes and doing demos and getting

recognised, which is a little bit strange for a baker.

So what do the paying public make of their TV star?

The grandchildren are very impressed me make a point of watching the

programmes swells, so it great. The show will be aired on BBC Two

at 9.30pm on Christmas Day. A great accolade. Merry Christmas. I

get to eat the pilot help make! Merry Christmas.

Football, and West Bromwich Albion have confirmed they've made a bid

of around ?13 million for the Manchester United midfielder

Any deal would have to wait for the New Year.

But Ian Winter has been celebrating the 12 days of Christmas

Those loud and proud Stoke City fans who sing

Homelessness is a big issue in Stoke on Trent,

So the Potters players have been down to the YMCA

to dish up a tasty lunch, and raise awareness.

It's been great, there have been fantastic lads out there I'd is

great to meet them. They are less fortunate position than ourselves so

we come along. 11 is the potter 's current position of the Premier

League, but that can they get higher after finishing ninth for the last

three years. Ten if the number of different

nationalities in the Port Vale squad a segment -- assembled by their

Portuguese boss. Nine is the number of new managers

we've seen during 2016, including two at Villa and Wolves

plus one each at Birmingham, Walsall, Port Vale,

Shrewsbury, and Coventry. Eight is where the Blues currently

lie in the Championship. And it's also the Baggies position

in the Premier League. This week, the West Brom players

popped into Sandwell Hospital If we can brighten up their day

little bit then it is job done for us. Some of the kids are happy to

see us and we got a few presents of them as well so everyone is a

winner! Seven is the remarkable number

of FA Cup rounds that featured Westfields FC,

the tiny non-league Their crazy Cup run began in early

August against Stourport Swifts, Six points are still up for grabs

in the old year before Hogmanay. It's now five home games

without defeat for Aston Villa, And this week, the players delivered

presents to patients Sadly these young Villa fans

would love to be part of a bumper crowd on Boxing Day,

but they''ll be there in spirit, hoping for another win

for Brucie against Burton. We all remember how excited

Christmas was. It is a special time of year to spend time with family

and if you're fortunate enough to be at home, so it is nice to come and

see the children in hospital and put a smile on their faces.

Four clubs in League 1 are all facing a battle

Three is a magic number for non-league Stourbridge.

They've reached the FA Cup third round for the first time

Just two Premier League Clubs still play in our patch.

So the one festive wish uniting football fans across the region

is that 2017 will be rather more succesful than 2016.

Whoever you support, a very Merry Christmas.

Did you see the state of him there? Time now for the weather.

Now Rebecca, we need to talk about Barbara.

Barbara did clear through very quickly today but we have felt the

effects of it is days like today that we really need the Weather

Watchers to help us tell the story. We had drizzle through the

day-to-day and then we saw the storm clouds really gathering. Then we had

heavy downpours, really heavy rain today. It wasn't long before it blew

through and then we had the back of the storm. We have been left with

something calm and clear about this is what it looks like. A very lively

band of rain coming through from the West with strong winds on there.

Gusts of up to 30 miles an hour recorded. Behind that it has started

to clear and for the next few hours we could get spots of rain but it is

largely clear out there. There is a chance of a touch of frost and some

sheltered spots but only in sheltered spots because the breeze

will keep the temperatures between two and 5 degrees. For the Christmas

period we are not out of the storms yet. Barbara has cleared but storm,

is coming in from the West. On Christmas Day we have a warm sector

of our with very mild conditions and then we have a cold front sinking

through. For Christmas day it is largely dry to start and then the

showers come through. If you still have shopping to do it shouldn't be

too bad. Temperatures between eight and nine, still breezy and we keep

that breeze from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day and the milder air

sinks over the top of us. Our night-time temperatures are the same

as our daytime temperatures and on Christmas Day we wake to a cloudy

day with a lot of cloud around and it is still breezy. Brighter spells

and then the rain works its way down from the north. It is a cold front,

introducing some refresher, so Boxing Day she sees high-pressure

taking charge and we settled down and we feel a bit fresher. Finally

we return to something more seasonal as we start the new working week.

Have a Merry Christmas. We'll be joined shortly

by the Military Wives They were formed four years

ago, and now fundraise But first we caught up with them

on camp in Shropshire. I am Kelly Brown my husband is in

the air for Sandy has been for nearly 30 years. We watched the

Gareth Malone series on TV and we were inspired and I thought we could

do this here at Crossford and when I first came here it was hard to mix.

I am Flying Officer and I joined the military wide squire in June 2016.

Being in such a male dominated environment the opportunities to do

something that is just for females was something that was completely

different so there is always someone on the end of the phone or on the

other side of the Internet that is available to help you and support

you through things. I am Flying Officer Cathy Morton and I joined

the choir in June this year when I was posted in after initial training

and it was nice to meet different people and talk about things that

won't work and talk about people's real lives and get a better feel for

the wider air force. We have winning their group have been service wives

for many years and some of them are currently serving themselves.

Getting the benefit of their experience has been invaluable. We

were really excited when we heard the BBC Midlands would like to come

on film are singing. We have a great group of girls and a really positive

atmosphere going so it is a great time to get away from work and get

your music on. And Becky and I have come downstairs at the mailbox in

Birmingham now because the choir I hear themselves. Thank you for

coming in, it is lovely to see you. They will sing us out in a little

while. First I will speak to Clare. Why is it great to be a part of this

quite? The choir is just a brilliant social experience. I have made so

many friends, met new people and build my confidence. It has been

fabulous having somewhere to go where you just know people and they

will be friendly and welcoming. In your situation you are quite often

alone for long periods. Yes, a lot of the ladies have the problem of

husbands going away and so having that stability and somewhere to go

and people to speak to that know how you feel is just amazing. There are

scores of similar choirs, aren't there? There are loads, all over the

UK and further afield. Thank you very much indeed.

I am with one of the longest serving members of this choir, Lynne, who

has been a member for four years. What are the media to be a part of

the choir? In means so much. I left the Royal Air Force in 2007 and I

just felt that I have lost a lot of the support network that I would had

previously said joining the choir has been so important because I have

managed to make friends and I just feel I have had that support. My

husband is still serving in the Royal Air Force and he goes away

offered and then the girls will be around, running around for you and

being the support the shoulder to cry on. It has been brilliant. You

will all singers out of the programme now so all that is for us

now is to say Merry Christmas. Yes, and have a happy New Year when

it comes. Thank you for being with us throughout the year. It is the

last fully fledged programme of the year. Have a lovely festive season.

Christmas is about family. I'll have that.

Let's get this Christmas party started!