06/12/2011 Midlands Today


06/12/2011

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 06/12/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Hello. Welcome to the programme. The headlines. 200 jobs to go at

:00:09.:00:15.

Cadbury, but American owners Kraft Foods say they and investing �50

:00:15.:00:20.

million in the business. We will try to reduce the implications for

:00:20.:00:22.

the work force and make sure they are treated with fairness and

:00:22.:00:27.

dignity to stop chaos on the railways, as over headlines come

:00:27.:00:33.

down leaving commuters to walk along the tracks. There was a huge

:00:33.:00:38.

flash, forward by this sound that was the cable hitting the roof of

:00:38.:00:44.

the train. And the Prince of Wales surprises troops with a surprise

:00:44.:00:49.

visit to their hospital in Birmingham. And an appeal to save

:00:49.:00:53.

Coventry's ice hockey team, as sponsorship cash tills to

:00:53.:01:03.
:01:03.:01:03.

materialise. -- fails. Good evening, welcome to Tuesday's Midlands Today

:01:03.:01:08.

from the BBC. Tonight: Job losses at Cadbury. American owners Kraft

:01:08.:01:14.

say hundreds of jobs are to go at three factories. So let's look at

:01:14.:01:17.

those plans. Around 200 jobs will be lost at the chocolate maker's

:01:17.:01:19.

headquarters in Bournville in Birmingham, Marlbrook in

:01:19.:01:23.

Herefordshire and Chirk near Oswestry. Kraft say the cuts are

:01:23.:01:26.

essential as part of a �50 million investment plan to expand

:01:26.:01:29.

production in the UK. But tonight unions warned they would not accept

:01:29.:01:34.

compulsory redundancies. Here's Bob Hockenhull. The run-up to Christmas

:01:35.:01:37.

- a busy time for Cadbury- but today the company's owners Kraft

:01:38.:01:40.

Foods revealed they'll be making chocolate with a smaller workforce

:01:40.:01:43.

in future. 200 jobs are to go across three factories in

:01:43.:01:45.

Bournville in Birmingham, Herefordshire and Chirk near

:01:45.:01:55.
:01:55.:01:56.

Oswestry. It is a shock, and where to King it in. The trade union is

:01:56.:02:01.

totally opposed to compulsory redundancies, and if there are any,

:02:01.:02:04.

we want to make sure there will -- that these will be on a voluntary

:02:05.:02:12.

basis. The jobs will go as part of a �50 million investment programme.

:02:12.:02:14.

Kraft Foods says new production lines using the latest technology

:02:14.:02:17.

will be created at its sites to increase productivity. But the

:02:17.:02:22.

restructuring will need fewer staff. When Kraft Foods a quiet Cadbury in

:02:22.:02:27.

2010 it gave a two-year commitment that no jobs would be cut. Since

:02:27.:02:32.

none of these 200 posts will be lost before March 2012, the company

:02:32.:02:40.

insists that it is sticking to its work. -- word. Despite the job

:02:40.:02:43.

losses, Kraft Foods is keen to put a positive spin on today's

:02:43.:02:47.

announcement. This is not about jobs reduction, this is about

:02:47.:02:52.

investment. And this is the key point. It is great that we are

:02:52.:02:57.

investing in the factory and in this site, here. The changes come

:02:57.:03:02.

as Kraft Foods -with an estimated �30 billion turnover- splits in two.

:03:02.:03:04.

American boss Irene Rosenfeld - who wouldn't face MPs over questions

:03:04.:03:07.

about job concerns, remains in charge of confectionery - so has

:03:07.:03:13.

the ultimate say on Cadbury. Our business correspondent Peter

:03:13.:03:23.

Plisner is at Cadbury's Bournville HQ now. Peter, Kraft say the job

:03:23.:03:26.

cuts are needed as part of multi- million pound investment plan, but

:03:26.:03:28.

usually investment means creating jobs, not shedding them. In this

:03:28.:03:34.

case, investment in new technology means investment in automation and

:03:34.:03:38.

greater productivity which means fewer jobs. Canberra will not say

:03:38.:03:43.

which of the West Midlands sites these jobs are going at yet. It

:03:43.:03:47.

hopes to make the job cuts through voluntary redundancies. The unions

:03:47.:03:53.

are concerned that business leaders are welcoming the investment in

:03:53.:03:59.

this and other plans. I am joined by Ceri Blackett from the Chamber

:03:59.:04:03.

of Commerce. Good news about the investment, bad news about their

:04:03.:04:07.

jobs. The says about the future of this wonderful business, globally,

:04:07.:04:12.

and it is about building a sustainable number of jobs. We want

:04:12.:04:17.

jobs for the long-term and that is what this announcement is saying.

:04:17.:04:24.

Kraft Foods have said no job losses were two years, and right on the

:04:24.:04:29.

bed lying, have announced job cuts. It would be foolish do expect long-

:04:29.:04:34.

term job guarantees in a competitive business like this.

:04:34.:04:38.

This is Rav Boots and Cadbury saying they are investing in this

:04:38.:04:43.

area. There is a lot of good news. It is sad to see some jobs go, but

:04:43.:04:49.

this is about long-term, sustainable jobs. When Cadbury was

:04:49.:04:53.

taken over by Kraft Foods it was feared that some more factories

:04:54.:05:02.

could go. Tonight, that looks less likely with this and this month. --

:05:02.:05:10.

this investment. Meanwhile, 220 jobs are under threat at a

:05:10.:05:16.

Birmingham manufacturing company. Tucker Fasteners has been based in

:05:16.:05:19.

Perry Barr for more than 100 years. But its parent company, Stanley

:05:19.:05:22.

Black and Decker, wants to stop production with the work moving to

:05:22.:05:24.

Germany. The company says the plant has made consistent losses since

:05:24.:05:27.

1999. And later in tonight's programme forging new business

:05:27.:05:29.

links with the growing economies of the Far East. Birmingham

:05:29.:05:32.

International Airport and Chinese- owned MG cars link up to push for

:05:32.:05:36.

direct flights to China. There's been chaos today on the region's

:05:36.:05:46.

busiest rail line. An overhead power cable came down at Penkridge

:05:46.:05:48.

in Staffordshire at around 8:30am this morning, causing the closure

:05:48.:05:51.

of the entire line between Stafford and Wolverhampton and affecting

:05:51.:05:53.

services to Birmingham. These passengers were evacuated from one

:05:53.:05:56.

of the affected trains after the damaged power line hit the top of

:05:56.:05:59.

the carriages. They waited two hours before someone came to escort

:05:59.:06:04.

them off the train and lead them to safety down the tracks. He had just

:06:04.:06:11.

come through Penkridge, and then there was a huge pink flash, and

:06:11.:06:15.

then some clattering sounds which was the Cable's hitting the roof of

:06:15.:06:19.

the train, and one of the cables damaged the window opposite me. It

:06:20.:06:27.

was a bit startling. correspondent David Gregory is at

:06:27.:06:30.

Penkridge station for us now - so what's happening there, David? And

:06:30.:06:40.
:06:40.:06:55.

what do they think went wrong? There you go, that is the first

:06:55.:06:59.

trio of the day, through Penkridge station. Repair crews will be

:06:59.:07:03.

closing this line again and going back to repair the overhead

:07:03.:07:07.

electrical cables at a cost these problems and it is hoped that all

:07:07.:07:14.

trains will be back to normal tomorrow morning. What do they

:07:14.:07:19.

Think went wrong? There was a problem with the overhead cable

:07:19.:07:22.

yesterday which was repaired overnight and when the first train

:07:22.:07:28.

went through, the cable became wrapped around the component on the

:07:28.:07:32.

top of the train that draws power from the cable. That was pulled

:07:32.:07:36.

down, and that is what that passenger was describing to oz

:07:36.:07:42.

earlier. When crews get back to repair this component, hopefully,

:07:42.:07:51.

the chaos that we have seen today will not be repeated tomorrow.

:07:51.:07:54.

families of wounded servicemen and women will be able to stay close to

:07:54.:07:57.

their loved ones after a donation from the News of the World

:07:57.:08:00.

newspaper. After it shut in the phone hacking scandal, the

:08:00.:08:02.

newspaper gave �1 million which will go towards accommodation at

:08:02.:08:05.

the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham. Today, the

:08:05.:08:08.

Prince of Wales visited the centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to

:08:08.:08:12.

talk to troops wounded in Afghanistan. Andy Newman reports.

:08:12.:08:15.

He's becoming something of a familiar figure at the QE. Prince

:08:15.:08:18.

Charles been averaging three visits a year and always aims to come once

:08:18.:08:26.

in the run up to Christmas. Despite there being no pre-publicity a

:08:26.:08:29.

spontaneous crowd greeted him with real warms and affection each

:08:29.:08:32.

hoping to be rewarded with a royal handshake or hello. Then it was

:08:33.:08:36.

upstairs to the business of the day - first to meet the medical staff

:08:36.:08:38.

treating servicemen at the royal centre for defence medicine before

:08:39.:08:44.

disappearing for the private part of his visit. The Prince is meeting

:08:44.:08:47.

15 servicemen being treated and the special military what, and we have

:08:47.:08:50.

not been allowed to film that because some of them are still

:08:50.:08:55.

traumatised, having only recently been removed from the battlefield.

:08:55.:09:00.

It is a morale booster for everybody. He takes a real interest

:09:00.:09:03.

in the patients and the staff, which introduced a better patient

:09:03.:09:13.
:09:13.:09:15.

care. Elsewhere at the hospital it was business as unusual as fund

:09:15.:09:17.

raisers confirmed that they're on track to build a residential centre

:09:17.:09:20.

for service personnel and their families, a project kick started by

:09:20.:09:24.

a donation of nearly �1 million from the News of the World when it

:09:24.:09:26.

closed. After spending nearly two hours with the injured servicemen

:09:26.:09:29.

The Prince meanwhile was ready to leave, but he'll be back again soon,

:09:29.:09:33.

you can bank on it. It is going to be a centre where military patients

:09:33.:09:35.

can spend some time with their families and friends and their

:09:35.:09:37.

friends from the regiment in an non-clinical environment. It is

:09:37.:09:39.

also going to provide overnight accommodation for the families of

:09:39.:09:42.

those military patients. The Prince, meanwhile, was ready to lead. But

:09:42.:09:52.
:09:52.:09:53.

he will be back again soon, you can bank on it. -- ready to leave. Five

:09:53.:09:56.

members from a regiment recently returned from Afghanistan have been

:09:56.:09:58.

presented with bravery awards by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The

:09:58.:10:01.

men are from the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. For several

:10:01.:10:04.

years they've been based at Tern Hill in Shropshire, which has

:10:04.:10:11.

become the regiment's adopted home. Joan Cummins reports. In their

:10:11.:10:14.

third tour of Afghanistan, The Royal Irish lost three men. All

:10:14.:10:23.

remembered in today's presentations at Buckingham Palace. In the

:10:23.:10:26.

regiments own photographic records, the impact of the shropshire based

:10:26.:10:28.

team in Afghanistan is clear. Today, Leuitenant Paul McFarland was

:10:28.:10:31.

awarded the Military Cross for using his own body as a human

:10:31.:10:34.

shield to protect a collegue in a grenade attack. The boys do things

:10:35.:10:39.

like that across Afghanistan almost every day. It is a credit to

:10:39.:10:49.
:10:49.:10:54.

everyone. Just a bunch of guys, looking after each other. Sgt Peter

:10:54.:10:57.

Keogh's mother cried when he told her he was to get the Military

:10:57.:11:01.

Cross. He'd shown "exceptional courage" by making himself a target

:11:01.:11:04.

for the Taliban enabling a stretcher party to reach a

:11:04.:11:09.

helicopter. He sees the medal as a thank you to all his regiment.

:11:09.:11:15.

is a great honour. I work with pride, but just for myself but for

:11:15.:11:23.

the guys in the battalion who were her. So it was a great honour. --

:11:23.:11:30.

who were hurt. And an MBE has been awarded to Major Jamie Humphries

:11:30.:11:32.

for his work in defeating insurgents,but he remains modest

:11:32.:11:36.

about his involvement. I was just lucky, or unlucky, enough that the

:11:36.:11:41.

every I was was was well for was particularly busy. There is no way

:11:41.:11:47.

that what I did was any different to what anyone else had done.

:11:47.:11:50.

the men told me that despite the circumstances they were touched by

:11:50.:12:00.

the hospitality of the Afghan people.. Still to come: We told you

:12:00.:12:04.

it was cold, didn't we? This morning, drivers in the north of

:12:04.:12:07.

the region woke up to their first significant snow of the winter.

:12:07.:12:14.

More to come, Shefali? It looks like that could be, near the end of

:12:14.:12:18.

the week, the result of an Arctic blast. And the indications are that

:12:18.:12:22.

it could be more than just a dusting of snow. All the details

:12:22.:12:32.
:12:32.:12:36.

later. Chinese-owned MG Motor company has teamed up with

:12:36.:12:39.

Birmingham Airport with aim of getting a direct flight to Shanghai

:12:39.:12:42.

in China. It would be a big boost for businesses here, opening up new

:12:42.:12:48.

potential markets as our political editor Patrick Burns reports. As

:12:48.:12:52.

branding exercises go, this one was clear enough and so was the message

:12:52.:12:55.

behind it. You can fly from Birmingham to the Far East, but not

:12:55.:12:58.

without stopping somewhere along the way. These MGs have come from

:12:58.:13:01.

no further afield than Longbridge, where 400 people now work at the

:13:01.:13:04.

new model car plant. But lengthening this runway would

:13:04.:13:07.

enable direct flights to the home of their parent company, Shanghai

:13:07.:13:13.

Automotive. What we're trying to do is work together with the local

:13:14.:13:22.

community, the local companies, to make us get better off from the

:13:22.:13:28.

recession. Without improving links to the biggest emerging economy it

:13:28.:13:31.

would be hard to sustain the region's claims to be a serious

:13:31.:13:34.

player in global markets. You can look at Russia and Indonesia and

:13:34.:13:41.

Brazil, who also want to connect with the UK, we still have a brick

:13:41.:13:49.

economy. It is still a very strong economy. MG hope their �50 million

:13:49.:13:52.

investment in the Midlands is just the start. The Chinese car market

:13:52.:13:56.

is already more than ten times the size of the UK's. It's all about

:13:56.:14:02.

leverage. MG have leverage with their parent company Shanghai

:14:02.:14:04.

Automotive. They have leverage with the Chinese Government. They

:14:04.:14:07.

certainly have leverage with the airlines. So the airport plan to

:14:07.:14:11.

pull all these levers for the benefit of the W Midlands economy.

:14:11.:14:21.
:14:21.:14:24.

-- West Midlands. Time for the sports news now. There's another

:14:24.:14:28.

sports team in Coventry with money troubles. Who is it this time? The

:14:28.:14:31.

Coventry Blaze ice hockey team say they have just a month to survive

:14:31.:14:34.

after unpaid sponsorship and a big drop in attendances left them

:14:34.:14:36.

strapped for cash. They have now launched a fundraising push

:14:36.:14:39.

starting with Saturday's home game against the Sheffield Sharks. Ice

:14:39.:14:42.

hockey's a tough sport - and for the Coventry Blaze it just got

:14:42.:14:46.

tougher. They were working hard on the ice today - but their problems

:14:46.:14:49.

are off it. They've got money troubles and they've got just a

:14:49.:14:56.

month before it runs out. Right that, it is a pretty serious

:14:56.:15:01.

situation. If we don't come out and announce that we need the support

:15:01.:15:06.

and help from fans and sponsors, unless there was a real need, and

:15:06.:15:10.

we find ourselves in a bit of difficulty and we need help to get

:15:10.:15:14.

through December. The main problem stems from the club sponsor

:15:14.:15:20.

Coventry-based CPP Manufacturing. Their major shareholder, Lithuanian

:15:20.:15:22.

businessman Vladimir Antonov, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud

:15:22.:15:25.

and his assets have been frozen. And that means no money flowing

:15:25.:15:28.

into the Blaze. But attendances are also down this season, so ticket

:15:28.:15:31.

revenue has fallen by 20%. Head coach Paul Thompson is drumming up

:15:31.:15:38.

support and trying to keep the players focused. You are

:15:38.:15:42.

professional player. The clubbers in financial trouble. Christmas is

:15:42.:15:49.

coming. Nobody is looking to leave. I cannot ask any more from these

:15:49.:15:55.

guys. The fans are coming together. We are a special club. We have had

:15:55.:15:59.

special times together. We are appealing to local people to come

:15:59.:16:05.

out and support us. We have been here for 12 years, we want to be

:16:05.:16:11.

here for the next 30 years. Thompson just like general manager

:16:11.:16:14.

James Pease has been with the club for 12 years in Coventry - so they

:16:14.:16:18.

are hurting more than most at the moment. They hope the city will

:16:18.:16:21.

back the club - starting with Saturday's home game against

:16:21.:16:23.

Sheffield Steelers. The Blaze have been a success story. The 2010

:16:23.:16:29.

elite league title was their fourth in the last seven years. But if the

:16:29.:16:32.

fans don't return in numbers, they might not have a club by the New

:16:32.:16:42.

Year. So just how bad are their probems? Extremely serious, but it

:16:42.:16:48.

is a cashflow problem and they the people to come to the matches, fast.

:16:48.:16:52.

Just 1600 people at the game when Saturday. They the people to come

:16:52.:17:02.
:17:02.:17:03.

out, through December, so that they can start turning the clock round.

:17:03.:17:08.

Coventry rugby club got relegated to the third tour of rugby. The

:17:08.:17:12.

Football Club is faking fires as well. The Coventry blaze has been a

:17:12.:17:17.

success story, but it is just another thing to be depressed about

:17:17.:17:22.

in the City of Coventry, on the sporting front. Let us hope that

:17:22.:17:26.

they can turn that Brad. Why do I know that been, and Vladimir Anton

:17:26.:17:34.

of? He is the chairman of Portsmouth Football Club, so he has

:17:34.:17:44.
:17:44.:17:47.

been in the headlines because of that, as well. -- Vladimir Antonov.

:17:47.:17:50.

12 months ago, we followed Bert Williams to Buckingham Palace to

:17:50.:17:53.

receive his MBE from the Queen. Now, there's another honour for the

:17:53.:17:56.

former Wolves and England goalkeeper. Bert, who will be 92

:17:56.:17:59.

next month, has just opened the new leisure centre in his home town of

:17:59.:18:02.

Bilston, near Wolverhampton. And it's been named in his honour, as

:18:02.:18:12.
:18:12.:18:14.

Ian Winter reports. Old friends reunited. Whenever Bert Williams

:18:14.:18:17.

comes back home to Bilston he is always treated like royalty. And

:18:17.:18:20.

he's always so humbled by the genuine warmth of the Black Country

:18:20.:18:24.

welcome. But this was extra special. Because Bert was the VIP guest to

:18:24.:18:27.

open Bilston's new leisure centre, named in his honour. This is for

:18:27.:18:36.

all of you. Thank you very much were coming. A proud moment indeed

:18:36.:18:39.

for Bert, who was born in nearby Bradley back in 1920. On this very

:18:39.:18:42.

spot where the new centre now stands. He spent countless hours

:18:42.:18:45.

playing football. He went on to become a goalkeeping legend with

:18:45.:18:50.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and England. Billy Wright and Norman Plummer

:18:50.:18:54.

head the all West Midlands teams onto the turf, for football's game

:18:54.:19:04.
:19:04.:19:07.

of the year. In 1949, Bert helped Wolves win the FA Cup at Wembley in

:19:07.:19:11.

front of the future Queen, and went on to play more than 400 games for

:19:11.:19:14.

his favourite club, plus 24 caps for England. So who better than

:19:14.:19:17.

Bert himself to give me a guided tour, to see for ourselves the

:19:17.:19:20.

state of the art facilities, costing almost �19 million. I have

:19:20.:19:22.

never in my wildest dreams, would I believe that this could happen. It

:19:22.:19:26.

is the finest sports centre I have seen a man live. Everywhere we went,

:19:27.:19:30.

his eyes were as wide as saucers. Growing up in Bilston, young Bert

:19:30.:19:34.

never dreamt of anything like this. It is a place to be proud of, isn't

:19:34.:19:44.
:19:44.:19:44.

it, really? He used to go swimming in the filthy canal, like all the

:19:44.:19:48.

kids did. Now there's a 25 metre pool, warm and inviting. It makes

:19:48.:19:54.

you feel like jumping in and joining them. And as for the new

:19:54.:20:01.

fitness room, its in a league of its own. 100 workstations year.

:20:01.:20:08.

is unbelievable. Everything here is on a grand scale. He is a legend

:20:08.:20:12.

around here, and he has come back home, forever, in the name of this

:20:12.:20:20.

building. Dennis Turner, now Lord Bilston, is one of Bert's lifelong

:20:20.:20:24.

friends. They've never lost touch with their Black Country roots. And

:20:24.:20:30.

when Bert turns 92 next month, he could not wish for a better gift

:20:30.:20:40.
:20:40.:20:46.

than the leisure centre that bears his name. Staying with sport, now.

:20:46.:20:49.

Bill Sayer from Shrewsbury has a passion and it's rowing. Half a

:20:49.:20:52.

century ago as a student he rowed for Cambridge University. Later, he

:20:52.:20:56.

became a coach and now you can find him most days at the Pengwern Boat

:20:56.:20:59.

Club on the River Severn, helping local youngsters develop their

:20:59.:21:02.

talent. Nadine Towell has been to meet the last of our five finalists

:21:02.:21:04.

in this year's BBC Midlands Sports Unsung Hero competition. Pengwern

:21:04.:21:11.

Boat Club in Shrewsbury is like a second home for Bill Sayer. At

:21:11.:21:14.

least five days every week, he and his wife Margaret are here,

:21:14.:21:18.

dedicating hour after hour to the club's junior members. It does not

:21:18.:21:22.

matter what level, if they are enjoying themselves and you'll do

:21:22.:21:27.

it is rewarding for them, then it is rewarding for me. -- and

:21:27.:21:33.

fuelling that it is rewarding. Robbie Massey was an undiscovered

:21:33.:21:36.

talent until Bill spotted his potential. Seen here rowing

:21:36.:21:38.

competitively in the Pengwern colours, recent results mean

:21:38.:21:41.

Robbie's now one of the best young rowers in the country. His father

:21:41.:21:45.

nominated Bill for our Unsung Hero award. Robbie is straining with the

:21:45.:21:51.

Welsh squad in Cardiff. He has learned so much from Bill, who has

:21:51.:22:01.

coached and encouraged him and transformed his life. During the

:22:01.:22:03.

winter months weekday training is restricted to improving rowers'

:22:03.:22:06.

technique on the indoor machines. But at the weekends they take to

:22:06.:22:09.

the river. This Sunday, Bill and Margaret weren't here - they were

:22:09.:22:12.

on their way home from a well- deserved holiday. But despite their

:22:12.:22:16.

absence, their influence was still being felt. He is a very skilled

:22:16.:22:21.

coach, as we can see, from how far will be has gone. He is so positive

:22:21.:22:29.

in everything you do, and he cares about us as individuals. He goes to

:22:29.:22:37.

all the races. He does not get paid or anything. He just does it for us.

:22:37.:22:45.

Bill's knowledge of the sport is widely respected. And whether it's

:22:45.:22:48.

top-class rowers or absolute beginners there's no doubting his

:22:48.:22:51.

motivation and dedication, not to mention his modesty. I am very

:22:51.:22:54.

conscious that there are lots of other volunteer sports coaches who

:22:54.:23:00.

do a great deal, and I have a great deal of respect for them, I just do

:23:00.:23:06.

it because I like it, and I did not expect this at all. There's a

:23:06.:23:09.

waiting list for junior members at this club. According to the people

:23:09.:23:18.

here that's largely thanks to the unsung efforts of Bill Sayer. Have

:23:18.:23:26.

you ever done any rowing? Only a tiny bit on the river on Stratford.

:23:26.:23:33.

That is what made me the rugged figure I am today! And, tomorrow

:23:33.:23:36.

night, one of the five people we've featured who give up their time to

:23:36.:23:45.

help others will be named our Unsung Sporting Hero for 2011. This

:23:45.:23:49.

time last year, the mercury had plunged and we were in the midst of

:23:49.:23:52.

icy blasts and snowstorms. It turned out to be the coldest winter

:23:52.:23:55.

for 30 years. Although it's been milder so far, families in the

:23:55.:23:58.

north of the region woke up to the first significant snow of the

:23:58.:24:02.

winter. Here's our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper. On the Leek

:24:02.:24:05.

to Buxton road the craggy rocks of the Roaches are blanketted. And

:24:05.:24:11.

there are drifts along the country lanes and dry stone walls. These

:24:11.:24:16.

peak District roads are some of the highest in England. After such a

:24:16.:24:21.

mild autumn, this is the first snowfall of winter. And this couple,

:24:21.:24:27.

near the village of Flash, were enjoying the picture-perfect scenes.

:24:27.:24:32.

My girlfriend has come over from Thailand. Andrew main ambition,

:24:33.:24:38.

apart from to be with me, was to cease no, so we came up when we

:24:38.:24:42.

have the snow forecast on the local radio. It is the first time she has

:24:42.:24:50.

seen the snow. It is beautiful. Very happy! This time last year

:24:50.:24:53.

these were the scenes in the Moorlands. They were the heaviest

:24:53.:24:56.

snowfalls for many years. This year, it's much less severe, but

:24:56.:24:58.

nevertheless snowploughs are already out - and gritters will be

:24:58.:25:05.

on the roads tonight. This is the second year that we have had to

:25:05.:25:09.

have 2,000 tonnes of grit. Before, we only used to keep 15,000. Two

:25:09.:25:15.

years ago we all got caught short, as a nation, and we did not intend

:25:15.:25:20.

to again. We have the cold this winter in 100 years last year. We

:25:20.:25:25.

have got 700 tonnes of grit coming in today, so we are replacing it,

:25:25.:25:30.

as we use it, so we have always got reserve stock. This may be the

:25:30.:25:34.

first coating of snow this year - but here in the Peak District,

:25:34.:25:42.

they're braced for more icy weather to come. That broke his epic, from

:25:42.:25:52.
:25:52.:25:57.

leaked to Buxton, I tell you. -- that road is epic. Here's Shefali.

:25:57.:25:59.

Last night's snow over Staffordshire isn't the only snow

:25:59.:26:06.

of the week. We're looking at further snow, Thursday night into

:26:06.:26:13.

Friday. So far as tonight those, we're not going to see too much

:26:13.:26:21.

snow, but we have blustery showers to the north. Showers rattling in

:26:21.:26:25.

from the West. That is where the majority of the concentration of

:26:25.:26:31.

showers has been. Just a few of them could turn to snow, over the

:26:31.:26:39.

Staffordshire merlons. We're looking at dusts of 50 mph, and

:26:39.:26:44.

respect of that, temperatures could fall as low as Deal Celsius. That

:26:44.:26:50.

will bring a Prost. You could be scraping the eyes of your

:26:50.:26:54.

windscreens by tomorrow. We have a lovely sunny start tomorrow,

:26:54.:27:00.

although it will be a windy day. Temperatures, coupler degrees

:27:00.:27:08.

higher than today at around five- seven Celsius. Tomorrow night, a

:27:08.:27:12.

warm front coming through. It is going to be milder, but we and

:27:12.:27:22.
:27:22.:27:24.

windy. A look at tonight's main headlines: There's been

:27:24.:27:26.

unprecedented violence in Afghanistan - bomb attacks across

:27:26.:27:31.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS