27/06/2011 Midlands Today


27/06/2011

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

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The headlines tonight. "They'll save lives". Fire chiefs

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call for sprinkler systems to be fitted in all new homes. Remember,

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years ago we had a campaign to get seatbelts fitted to all cars. This

:00:20.:00:27.

is a similar sort of thing in people's houses. Look at the

:00:27.:00:29.

difference that made. Four people arrested after reports

:00:29.:00:33.

of a shooting in a Warwickshire village. We have lived here for

:00:33.:00:37.

nine or 10 years and I haven't seen anything like it.

:00:37.:00:40.

Fears that hundreds of jobs could go, under plans to cut emergency

:00:40.:00:43.

surgery at Stafford Hospital. And vibrant at the Villa, as

:00:43.:00:53.
:00:53.:00:57.

thousands of fans stream in for the Good evening, welcome to Monday's

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Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight, "change the law to save

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the lives of hundreds of people killed in house fires". That's the

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appeal today from senior firefighters who want to see new

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legislation introduced to force builders to fit all new homes with

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sprinkler systems. 347 people died in house fires across the country

:01:14.:01:20.

last year. In the Midlands, 35 people were killed. The worst-hit

:01:20.:01:23.

part of our region was the West Midlands Fire Service area, where

:01:23.:01:29.

16 people died. The law has already been changed in Wales, but in

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England, developers are worried about the cost. The Government has

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also said it has no plans to change the law. Joan Cummins has this

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exclusive report. Two identical houses in Stratford

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Upon Avon designated for demolition, but now destined for a graphic fire

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demonstration. The house on the left doesn't have sprinklers. The

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one on the right does. Warwickshire Fire Service invited me to witness

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the devastating reality of a raging house fire. As you can see, it has

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been a matter of seconds is as the fire has taken hold and smoke is

:02:08.:02:13.

rising in the building. If you were living in this house, it could be

:02:13.:02:23.
:02:23.:02:23.

potentially fatal. As the fire intensified, time for a quick exit.

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You saw how quickly this room filled with toxic smoke. There is

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every possibility that if you had been asleep on the sofa, you would

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not have woken up. Next door in house number two, the fire started

:02:36.:02:40.

in exactly the same way but ended abruptly and differently. When the

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temperature hit 68 degrees Centigrade, the sprinklers

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activated, the flames were quenched and a grey smoke filled the room.

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Fire fighters are still dealing with the fire in this house but you

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can immediately see that the level of smoke coming out of the windows

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is nothing compared to the earlier house. I think it is a no-brainer

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because I want the people of Warwickshire and the rest of the

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country to be the safest they can be. That is why we are trying to

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lobby for support and impress upon people the benefit of sprinklers

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because I think they should be introduced as standard,

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particularly in new houses and social housing. This should be on

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the start off the plans. Caroline Tucker, from Swansea, suffered

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life-changing burns when she was 11. Her four-year-old sister died. And

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23 years later, Caroline knows first-hand the emotional cost of

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fire. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go what I went through.

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Nobody deserves that. You have people staring at you in the street.

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You have got children running a wear from you. Caroline

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successfully lobbied the Welsh Assembly this year to introduce

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legislation in 2012 that insists that sprinklers are fitted to new

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homes. She can't understand the reluctance to extend this

:03:56.:04:06.
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legislation throughout Britain. Could she look me in the eye and

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say, it is not worth that. I don't think so. Fitting sprinklers to a

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new house can cost around �2,000. The Home Builders Federation, who

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represent private developers, say they'll abide by law changes but

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say the cost of the long list of requirements is making many sites

:04:23.:04:25.

non-viable. In other words, it's all about cost, something that

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gives social housing providers a similar dilemma. There's lots of

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pressures on our funding and we have lots of different priorities.

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Once we have finished building the properties, we don't have much

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money left. We are not private developers and we do not make a

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profit. In a statement the Government said:

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"There are no plans to force builders to fit sprinklers in new

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homes. Extensive analysis has shown that this is neither necessary nor

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cost-effective". Joining us now is Nadhim Zahawi,

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:05:09.:05:10.

the Conservative MP for Stratford- upon-Avon. His constituency covers

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the Warwickshire Fire Service area. This seems like a great idea. Are

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you disappointed your government says it has no plans to change the

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law and make sprinklers compulsory in all new homes? It is a good idea.

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You heard from the people in that film and Caroline is a very

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powerful advocate for the sprinkler system. We saw the effects on those

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two houses in Stratford. Legislation is not felt to be the

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be-all and end-all of what needs to happen. The minister things using

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the Localism Bill and a Big Society agenda, working with the planning

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authority and the housing associations, with builders and

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developers, you can actually get a real movement together. If you

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think about it, if the new-build builders use this as a way, and a

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selling point, it can... But it will be a lottery. Some new homes

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will have it and some won't. That seems unfair? Only if you only get

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certain people doing it. But if we are to get real movement, I think

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it has to come from bottom-up, rather than top-down. More

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legislation is not necessarily a good thing when you are trying to

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get more houses built and the economy working again. For us to

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add to the great big line of rules and regulations that already hamper

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companies, it is not necessarily the right thing to do. Some of the

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people we saw in our report might disagree with you. One lady was

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very badly disfigured and she says a sprinkler would have saved her

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years of agony? Absolutely, and as I said, Caroline is a very powerful

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champion for the use of sprinkler systems and she has run a very

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powerful campaign. The deputy chief and all of Warwickshire Fire

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Service want to see more sprinklers but legislation is not the only way

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we can go about it. We need to work together, using the Localism Bill,

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and with society to make sure this can happen. We have run out of time.

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Thank you for joining us. And you can see more from that

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report from Joan Cummins on the BBC Coventry and Warwickshire website.

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Thanks for joining us. You're watching Midlands Today, from the

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BBC. Later in tonight's programme, sell-out concerts for Take That at

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Villa Park tonight and tomorrow, but you wouldn't want to be soaked,

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now, would you? Find out what weather's doing later on.

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Four people from Coventry have been arrested after reports that a man

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was shot dead. The victim, who hasn't been named, was killed just

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yards away from a Methodist church hall in the Warwickshire village of

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Bulkington. Detectives believe that he was deliberately targeted by his

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killers. This report from Sarah Falkland.

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Just a few doors down from the Methodist church, and at a time

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when everyone else was enjoying the blazing sunshine yesterday, a man

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was murdered in an outbuilding at the back of this house. The police

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arrived just before 4pm yesterday afternoon and found a man inside

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with very serious chest injuries. They have described this as a

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violent murder and say the victim had been specifically targeted.

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Neighbours say this is a shared house occupied by a group of men.

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They are a mysterious bunch. But they never bothered us at all. In

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fact, they often come and borrow some of my tools. They borrowed a

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wheelbarrow and some stores and a hammer because they have been doing

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a lot of work on their property. Witnesses inside the house managed

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to escape through windows. They're said to be deeply traumatised.

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Roads in the village were sealed off for much of the day. It was so

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surprising for Bulkington. We have been here for 10 years, we came up

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from Kent. And it is lovely here, nice and quiet. I have never seen

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anything like this before. It is very unexpected to see the police

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like this. The minister at the Methodist church said the murder is

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a shocking reminder of how society has disintegrated. It is a sad

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reflection of the fact that, in a sense, the church, although it is

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hello ground in itself, it's reached doesn't necessarily go very

:09:50.:09:58.

far beyond. -- its reach. A gang of four men were seen running from the

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house. Police are keen to hear from anyone who saw them.

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The BBC has seen confidential documents which suggest all

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emergency surgery could be taken away from Stafford Hospital. It's

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feared this would add to the financial pressures on the Trust,

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which needs to save �42 million over the next three years. Almost

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�31 million of savings are needed because of inflation and the fact

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the hospital's income is being frozen for certain treatments. A

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further �7.5 million drop in income is forecast because the Trust is

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seeing fewer patients. It'll also lose an additional �4 million, when

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it stops providing services such as complex surgery. The hospital is

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currently at the centre of a public inquiry into poor standards of care.

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Our health correspondent, Michele Paduano, reports.

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Stafford Hospital has been the focus for all the difficulties in

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the NHS. A series of catastrophic reports about poor care and

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committed campaigning have severely dented its reputation. It now faces

:10:56.:11:05.

serious financial challenges, as services are taken away. This

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confidential document is a work in progress but it suggests all

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emergency services should be moved from Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent.

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That complex surgery should be done on a shared rota and that children

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should only be operated on during the daytime for minor surgery.

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Labour supporter Diana Smith runs a blog. She fears the constant attack

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on the hospital has damaged its long-term future. We have had over

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three years now of very negative publicity, so people will make the

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assumption, this is a bad hospital and we can do without it. That is

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not necessarily helpful to the people of Stafford. Over 100 people

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have been involved in drafting the report. The hospital's medical

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director says the changes to surgery are in the best interests

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of patients. Some of the major cancer surgery is already done in

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Stoke, so we are building links with all of our partners. It will

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be up to the public to decide how we provide the service but the key

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message is that this is good news for the patients, which will give

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us the outcomes we want. At the cafe where the campaign to expose

:12:13.:12:16.

the failings of Stafford began, there were concerns as to how cuts

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of �42 million could be achieved. What we are hoping from the inquiry

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is that he will identify some of this money that can be saved, and

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yes, I do think money can be saved is safely, but where that amount of

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money can be saved, I don't know. The MP for Stafford Hospital

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recognises finances are tight. think it will be extremely

:12:42.:12:46.

difficult, but I would also point out that other hospitals are in the

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same position. We're going to have to face up to the reality that they

:12:50.:12:55.

are expensive, and with an ageing and growing population, the needs

:12:55.:13:04.

are greater. A public consultation will now find out how people react.

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Increasing numbers of companies in China want to do business in the

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West Midlands. That's the message following the visit of Chinese

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Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to the region yesterday. A total of 16

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firms from south-west China alone are known to have investment plans

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in the pipeline. The news comes on the day Britain secured major trade

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deals with China worth �1.4 billion. Cath Mackie reports.

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They lit the Beijing Olympics and are hoping to do the same in London.

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NVC is the biggest lighting company in China, and when they looked to

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:13:43.:13:45.

expand, they came here to Rubery, near Birmingham. Birmingham is the

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centre of this sort of industry and it gives us easy access to the

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whole of the United Kingdom. It also has a very high quality of

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labour force. 80 people work here and the site's being extended to

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create around 140 jobs within three years. What they want to do his own

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a lighting Company in this country but with it UK management and a UK

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feel. We sell UK products and it helps us in the UK but also to

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export to other countries like Africa. According to the City

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Council, Birmingham has attracted more Chinese investment than any

:14:20.:14:25.

other city in the UK, since 2003. 600 jobs have been created and it

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looks as if more are in the pipeline. China is not only

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pursuing economic development... Lindsay Li's job is to help Chinese

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businesses invest in the UK, and more of them want to come to the

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West Midlands. From a region, south-west China, we now have maybe

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16 active projects in the pipeline. So we are helping them to get to

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the UK. But there remains the thorny issue of human rights in

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China. A small protest group greeted the Chinese Premier at the

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Chinese-owned MG Rover at Longbridge yesterday. But Downing

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Street rejects suggestions trade is being secured at the expense of

:15:00.:15:03.

human rights. Jeffrey Yap set up his laundry company in Birmingham

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26 years ago. He hopes closer trade will lead to more openness. When

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you let the cat out of the bag, you cannot put it back in. It is good

:15:16.:15:23.

that China is now expanding, and engaging the West. And if that

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opens the door to a potential market of over a billion people,

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West Midlands businesses will be hoping to clean up. You were going

:15:34.:15:43.

to speak as well, when -- weren't you!

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You're watching Midlands Today from the BBC. Thanks for joining us this

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Monday evening. Still to come, one day this car could drive itself.

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It's under development at a new �10 million centre, which opened today.

:15:53.:15:56.

And heading towards their centuries but still going strong. We'll be

:15:56.:16:06.
:16:06.:16:08.

meeting the cricketing stars of Worcestershire's over-70s side.

:16:08.:16:12.

Tens of thousands of pounds worth of trade is being lost in the

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Midlands because of the ongoing conflict in Libya. The conflict has

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now been underway for 100 days and one company has been forced to

:16:18.:16:20.

abandon a growing export market to the North African country. Bob

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Hockenhull reports. Business with Libya was expected to

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double for this Birmingham wholesaler this year. Awan

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Marketing exports goods ranging from chocolate to cleaning products

:16:28.:16:31.

to the North African country. But it was forced to abandon a �150,000

:16:31.:16:34.

order from Libya earlier this year when no shipping was available

:16:34.:16:39.

because of the troubles. We were stuck with this product and they

:16:39.:16:44.

thought it may have been temporary. This lasted a few months and

:16:44.:16:49.

eventually we had to liquidate the stock. We took a �25,000 loss. But

:16:49.:16:55.

we see this as a short-term loss. Although it is painful, we hope the

:16:55.:17:02.

climate will change. With it Europe struggling economically, this was

:17:02.:17:07.

seen as a potentially good export market. That is until the trouble

:17:07.:17:15.

started. I think the situation in Libya has undoubtedly depressed the

:17:16.:17:20.

trade flows between our countries. If you are not getting the money,

:17:20.:17:25.

you will go elsewhere. So it is not helpful. There is one thing the

:17:25.:17:29.

Midlands is still exporting to Libya, though. Aid. The Birmingham-

:17:29.:17:31.

based charity Islamic Relief has already sent �2 million worth of

:17:31.:17:34.

medicines and food supplies. This recent footage shows the charity's

:17:34.:17:37.

aid workers helping refugees on the Tunisian border. Moustafa Osman has

:17:37.:17:46.

just returned from there. The more the war intensify his, the more we

:17:46.:17:50.

will get refugees coming out of the country, so we have to prepare for

:17:50.:17:54.

that and be prepared all the time. But with an arrest warrant now out

:17:54.:17:57.

for Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, the hope is this conflict will end

:17:57.:18:00.

soon so that business and not charity can be our main export to

:18:01.:18:10.
:18:11.:18:16.

the troubled country. Around 50,000 Take That fans will

:18:16.:18:19.

pour into Villa Park tonight for the first of two sell-out shows by

:18:19.:18:22.

the pop superstars. For Stoke-on- Trent boy Robbie Williams, it's

:18:22.:18:25.

almost a return to home turf. Our arts reporter, Lindsay Doyle, has

:18:25.:18:27.

been following the build-up of excitement. Lindsay, Take That fans

:18:27.:18:30.

have had a lot of publicity lately for being, well, rather exhuberant?

:18:30.:18:35.

They certainly have a reputation and the guys here at Villa Park

:18:35.:18:39.

have certainly been living up to that reputation. We have had

:18:39.:18:42.

singing, flamboyant outfits and even screaming, and that was before

:18:43.:18:48.

the doors opened. And the loss of the excitement seems to be down to

:18:49.:18:58.
:18:59.:18:59.

a certain lad from Stoke. band's attendance records is

:18:59.:19:03.

breaking other records. Are you going to come to the concert with

:19:03.:19:11.

these masks? Yeah! We are. We have come from southern Ireland. It is a

:19:11.:19:19.

long way. It is tiring. We cannot believe we are here. Are you going

:19:19.:19:25.

to be screaming? Yes! The new show promises to be even more

:19:25.:19:30.

spectacular than they show in 2008. With Robbie Williams touring with

:19:30.:19:40.
:19:40.:19:41.

Take That for the first time since 1995. We are happy because the

:19:41.:19:45.

hotel is full and so are many of the others, but the key is to offer

:19:45.:19:49.

competitive rates to make sure the price of a concert ticket is not

:19:49.:19:55.

going to be outweighed by the price of a hotel. Take That's popularity

:19:55.:20:00.

has come a long way since the early 90s, to this. Back at the Villa

:20:00.:20:06.

Park, there was decided confusion over the queue. It is an absolute

:20:06.:20:10.

shambles in terms of the officials doing the queues. They are letting

:20:10.:20:18.

people in the back. We have been waiting for three hours. Throughout

:20:18.:20:26.

the day, fans were warned not to fall for fraudsters selling for

:20:26.:20:30.

counterfeit goods. The quality of the T-shirts is poor, the money

:20:30.:20:33.

does not go to the band and the money is likely to end up in the

:20:34.:20:40.

pockets of criminal gangs. There will be selling drink inside the

:20:40.:20:44.

stadium, so that is a concern. I think a planning we have done with

:20:44.:20:48.

the club prior to this arrangement will make sure things pass safely

:20:48.:20:52.

and I have made sure we have got sufficient resources on to achieve

:20:52.:20:57.

that. Finally, the doors open for what is bound to be a great night.

:20:57.:21:00.

This is a big concert, isn't it? When is the last time Birmingham

:21:00.:21:05.

played host to such a big show? am told Villa Park has not played

:21:05.:21:10.

host to such a show of on this scale since Bruce Springsteen last

:21:10.:21:16.

played here, 16 years ago. They have to be up-to-date on current

:21:16.:21:20.

police practices and they travel to Sunderland and Manchester, where

:21:20.:21:24.

Take That have already played, and they took advice from police forces

:21:24.:21:28.

there to ensure a smooth night tonight. In Manchester there were

:21:28.:21:32.

reports of trouble involving some of the fans. What is the police

:21:32.:21:41.

presence like there tonight? There are a lot of police. The trouble in

:21:41.:21:47.

Manchester was slightly exaggerated by a tabloid, I have to say. There

:21:47.:21:49.

was arrested for drunken and disorderly behaviour and a few were

:21:49.:21:54.

rejected from the gig, but the police are confident. There are

:21:54.:21:57.

enough officers here and the mood is fantastic. The crowd just seem

:21:57.:22:01.

to want to have fun. I think they're going to have a great time!

:22:01.:22:07.

Had lots of women, more than men. The region's motor industry

:22:07.:22:10.

received another boost today with the opening of a new �10 million

:22:10.:22:13.

test track. It will help companies like Jaguar Land Rover develop

:22:13.:22:16.

technologies which could one day see the creation of cars which can

:22:16.:22:19.

literally drive themselves. Satellite systems could also be

:22:19.:22:22.

employed in congestion charging schemes. Our transport

:22:22.:22:25.

correspondent, Peter Plisner, has more.

:22:25.:22:28.

Driving forward to deliver a step change for automotive research and

:22:28.:22:33.

development. This new road network is designed to replicate a city

:22:33.:22:35.

centre environment where a whole host of new emerging technologies

:22:35.:22:45.
:22:45.:22:46.

can be tested safely. This is about testing and demonstrating the new

:22:46.:22:51.

generation of systems, where road vehicles will talk to each other

:22:51.:22:55.

and talk by the infrastructure to each other, to deliver benefits in

:22:55.:23:01.

terms of reduced congestion, safer driving, and so on. One of the cars

:23:01.:23:05.

driving round the track today virtually drives itself. If your

:23:05.:23:10.

car has got cruise control, you will probably be used to driving

:23:10.:23:13.

without your foot on the accelerator. But this car knows

:23:13.:23:17.

what the road looks like a head and what the speed limits are. By

:23:17.:23:20.

taking control of braking and acceleration, the car delivers more

:23:20.:23:26.

than 10% more miles to the gallon. The basic technology is quite

:23:26.:23:30.

applicable to Electric and hybrid vehicles. As the numbers of those

:23:30.:23:36.

increase in the marketplace, there's a push to get this out

:23:36.:23:39.

there. Other technologies that could be tested here include

:23:39.:23:41.

systems designed to work with congestion charging or road tolls,

:23:41.:23:48.

and crash avoidance systems. That is part of the vision as well, but

:23:49.:23:54.

to do that, you have to be able to have somewhere that you can have

:23:54.:23:59.

cars put in a crash situations, and see whether they behave correctly

:23:59.:24:03.

and don't have those crashes. might be a few years yet before we

:24:03.:24:06.

get the car that never crashes, but chances are, it'll have been tested

:24:06.:24:15.

here. Impressive stuff.

:24:15.:24:25.
:24:25.:24:28.

Let's find out how the weather's Temperatures are high today. It is

:24:28.:24:31.

Warwickshire and Worcestershire that were the hotspots today.

:24:31.:24:38.

Temperatures ranging from 23 to 25 degrees. Showers were localised.

:24:38.:24:43.

But apologies to Take That fans, because this evening, we are going

:24:43.:24:47.

to see the peak in those showers. Some could be thundery, with

:24:47.:24:53.

torrential downpours with up to 20 mm of rain in some places. But

:24:53.:25:00.

there are shifting east, so things will turn dry. Still quite sticky

:25:00.:25:04.

tonight, but you can see those values compared to last night, and

:25:04.:25:10.

they are much cooler. The wind is easily as well, so a quiet start to

:25:10.:25:15.

tomorrow. Perhaps some early- morning brightness, and that cloud

:25:15.:25:20.

will set off sunlight breaks of rain, and then they die away. But

:25:20.:25:26.

some late sunshine and again, temperatures are cooler. Still

:25:26.:25:30.

quite a humid, but is due -- it is during the rest of the week it is

:25:30.:25:37.

Now, if you're worried you might be getting too old to play your

:25:37.:25:41.

favourite sport, you might want to think again. Today, a group of

:25:41.:25:43.

cricketers have been showing that age is no barrier to competitive

:25:43.:25:46.

sport. Dan Pallett went along to Malvern to watch Worcestershire's

:25:46.:25:49.

over-70s in action against Sussex. Every dressing room needs a

:25:49.:25:53.

sprinkling of experience. This is one that has it in abundance. Meet

:25:53.:25:57.

Worcestershire's finest, in the over-70 bracket. The only

:25:57.:26:01.

difference is now, we have put a spare coffin in their dressing room,

:26:01.:26:06.

in case it is needed! And we have some extra oxygen cylinders. We

:26:06.:26:11.

don't have a drink at half-time, we get out the oxygen. A nice gentle

:26:11.:26:14.

warm-up doesn't hurt. But these are campaigners who know just how to

:26:14.:26:16.

reach their peak with minimal effort. Players like 77-year-old

:26:16.:26:20.

Tony Neel. He played his first match in 1949. This week he's

:26:20.:26:26.

playing four times in eight days. How does your body feel the day

:26:26.:26:32.

after? Well, I don't seem to be expected to run very much in the

:26:32.:26:38.

field, so I am fine. I don't struggle. And it doesn't take long

:26:38.:26:41.

to see why he opens the bowling. The Sussex batsmen struggled to

:26:41.:26:45.

score off him. Of course, they don't move as well as they used to.

:26:45.:26:52.

But this was competitive, with both sides defending unbeaten records.

:26:52.:26:57.

16 overs gone, they have soon emptied this squash. Thirsty work.

:26:57.:27:00.

But if there's one thing that can inspire a senior cricketer through

:27:00.:27:03.

a tough session, it's the thought of those delicious teas waiting for

:27:03.:27:06.

them in the pavilion. What do you make of these fellows still playing

:27:06.:27:10.

cricket? I think it is absolutely wonderful. My old man loves it.

:27:10.:27:15.

am very pleased. It means they can carry on playing cricket from when

:27:15.:27:19.

they were young boys. It seems the launch of an over-80s league is

:27:19.:27:28.

only a matter of time. That looked delicious. And Sussex

:27:28.:27:34.

are on the verge of victory, incidentally. Just one wicket left.

:27:34.:27:37.

A look at tonight's main headlines: Hundreds of thousands of public

:27:37.:27:40.

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