:00:04. > :00:09.Good evening. Welcome to Wednesday's Midlands Today from the
:00:09. > :00:18.BBC. Tonight: unemployment rises again in the region - there are now
:00:18. > :00:22.almost a quarter of a million people looking for work here.
:00:22. > :00:27.of companies say that I don't have enough experience. That is the
:00:27. > :00:37.greatest problem I find right now. He went on Facebook and called for
:00:37. > :00:38.
:00:38. > :00:43.a riot - now he is starting a jail sentence. Sudden bad weather is
:00:43. > :00:46.blamed for a motorway crash. It was described by those at the scene has
:00:46. > :00:56.almost like an ice rink. Who and winter is on the way with heavy
:00:56. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:08.snowfall for Friday, as much as 10 Good evening. Welcome to
:01:08. > :01:11.Wednesday's Midlands Today. Unemployment rises again in the
:01:11. > :01:15.region, there are now almost a quarter of a million people looking
:01:15. > :01:18.for work here. New figures released today show that there are now a
:01:19. > :01:21.total of 243,000 out of work in this region - up by four thousand
:01:22. > :01:25.on last month's total. There's also been a big increase in youth
:01:25. > :01:27.unemployment in the last 12 months. Close to 52,000 18 to 24-year-olds
:01:27. > :01:37.are now claiming Jobseekers Allowance, slightly down on last
:01:37. > :01:39.month but a rise of 14.6% on this time last year. Our special
:01:39. > :01:42.correspondent Peter Wilson reports now on the struggle for young
:01:42. > :01:47.people in today's difficult job market.
:01:47. > :01:52.Getting ready for work. The uniform is unusual. These three are Santa's
:01:52. > :02:02.helpers at the West Midlands Safari Park. The jobs are temporary. The
:02:02. > :02:03.
:02:03. > :02:07.zoo in Worcestershire takes on 90 I do want a full-time job, but
:02:07. > :02:12.there are that many people unemployed or getting made
:02:12. > :02:16.redundant, but fair every job that is permanent, about a hundred other
:02:16. > :02:24.Bebo have applied. Laura is a qualified teacher waiting to get
:02:24. > :02:28.her first job. Anything between 80 and 280 people apply for one
:02:28. > :02:31.teaching position, so even to get to the interview stage, I am doing
:02:31. > :02:34.well. What about those without jobs? This workshop in Handsworth
:02:34. > :02:37.was set up to provide advice. One in four young people are out of
:02:37. > :02:45.work in Birmingham. Esther wants to be a lawyer and has even been
:02:45. > :02:50.looking for work in America. graduated last year in law, under
:02:50. > :02:54.have recently come back from America. I took a New York bar exam
:02:54. > :02:59.over there, because I have had to venture out. I'm finding it
:02:59. > :03:01.difficult to get a job in the UK. Royal Mail have always been a big
:03:01. > :03:04.employer. Once they'd take on a thousand staff a year in the
:03:04. > :03:07.Midlands. Now there's a recruitment freeze. But this empty warehouse in
:03:07. > :03:16.Nuneaton has been converted for the Christmas rush, and all these staff
:03:16. > :03:23.have been taken on, too. The job market is difficult for young
:03:23. > :03:27.people, but Royal Mail is committed to bringing in talent. We start our
:03:27. > :03:30.graduate scheme in January, and we are looking to take content of
:03:30. > :03:32.graduates. Last month Jaguar Land Rover announced they are creating a
:03:32. > :03:35.thousand new jobs, while Staffordshire-based JCB are looking
:03:35. > :03:45.for 350 new workers. Meanwhile this Gloucestershire publishing company
:03:45. > :03:47.
:03:47. > :03:53.say they can't fill their vacancies. We have tried all the newspapers,
:03:53. > :03:56.agencies, our own magazine. Our magazine goes out to 25,000 people
:03:56. > :03:59.in Ross on Wye at Hereford, and that hasn't brought anybody in.
:03:59. > :04:03.Back at the safari park, the very young are full of hope for what
:04:03. > :04:06.Santa might bring. And a ray of light for Laura - she's finally got
:04:06. > :04:10.a job as a teacher, starting in the new year. Peter Wilson, BBC
:04:10. > :04:17.Midlands Today at West Midlands Safari Park.
:04:17. > :04:22.Joining us now is the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, Mark Garnier.
:04:22. > :04:27.Good evening. Thanks for joining us. We heard from some of your young
:04:27. > :04:32.constituents there. They are finding it hard to find work, in
:04:32. > :04:37.some cases hundreds of them chasing each vacancy. There is no doubt it
:04:37. > :04:42.is difficult to find jobs, and whilst it is always welcome that
:04:42. > :04:46.organisations like the West Midlands Safari Park provide
:04:46. > :04:49.temporary Christmas jobs, they are of course only temporary. We have
:04:49. > :04:53.to address the problem of youth unemployment which across the
:04:53. > :04:59.country is just over 1 million individuals. The Government is
:04:59. > :05:04.coming in with the youth programme, which is investing a billion pounds
:05:04. > :05:10.in ideas to try to get work experience, more apprenticeships.
:05:10. > :05:14.How soon will this take effect? has already started. If you look at
:05:14. > :05:19.apprenticeships across the West Midlands, there are up 65%, and in
:05:19. > :05:23.my constituency, 109%. So they are coming through, but it takes time
:05:23. > :05:27.for these things to bed down. government is predicting that the
:05:27. > :05:32.figure will go up, so you must be concern about a lost generation he
:05:32. > :05:36.will forever struggle to find work, it seems. We need to help that lost
:05:36. > :05:40.generation not become completely lost. The idea behind the youth
:05:40. > :05:43.programme has to make sure that they have the opportunity to have
:05:43. > :05:46.experience, so that there are opportunities were there can go and
:05:46. > :05:50.get work experience. If they have been unemployed for more than nine
:05:50. > :05:54.months, there will be more support for them. The important point is to
:05:54. > :05:57.make sure that they did lose those skills that they need to develop
:05:57. > :06:02.early on in their career. private sector just isn't creating
:06:02. > :06:06.the jobs to the public sector is losing. Do think it is fair to say
:06:06. > :06:12.the Government's plan isn't working? In terms of total numbers
:06:12. > :06:15.of people employed, that is up. But you are right, we are seeing a
:06:15. > :06:19.gentle increase in the unemployment figures. But it seems to be
:06:19. > :06:22.steadying off. Clearly we have colossal head wind coming at us
:06:23. > :06:26.from Europe, which is making life very difficult, and certainly
:06:26. > :06:30.businesses are nervous to invest in the future until they see what
:06:30. > :06:40.comes out of the euro crisis and what happens with the banks. Mark
:06:40. > :06:45.
:06:45. > :06:47.A The unemployment figures weren't the only economic data about the
:06:47. > :06:51.region released today. Statistics showing how much the region is
:06:51. > :06:54.worth to the UK's economy have also been published. The Gross Value
:06:54. > :06:57.Added figure, as it's know, shows how much the West Midlands is worth
:06:57. > :07:00.to UK plc. What they show is that the West Midlands share of the
:07:00. > :07:04.total economy amounts to 7.3%. That compares to the 21.5% share for
:07:04. > :07:07.London, which is the highest, and the 3.2% in the North East, which
:07:07. > :07:10.is the lowest. The West Midlands is ranked 6th out of the nine regions
:07:10. > :07:13.of England in terms of economic output. Joining us now to help make
:07:13. > :07:18.sense of all this is our political editor Patrick Burns. What do these
:07:18. > :07:22.figures mean for us in our region? There are a real comedown. When you
:07:22. > :07:27.bear in mind that as little as 20 years ago, are part of the country
:07:27. > :07:32.was accounting for almost a quarter of all UK manufactured exports,
:07:32. > :07:36.what a change. And it is also, in a way, a bit of a reality check for
:07:36. > :07:41.those ministers who think that West Midlands manufacturing can almost
:07:41. > :07:44.as an assumption be one of the escape routes for our economic woes.
:07:44. > :07:49.What does it say about the economy here? How can this worrying trend
:07:49. > :07:53.be reversed? I was at a meeting of senior business leaders earlier
:07:53. > :07:57.today, and why on after another, they said there were no quick fixes.
:07:57. > :08:03.It would take years, it is about stepping outside the comfort zone
:08:03. > :08:07.and developing new export markets in the developing Far flung
:08:07. > :08:10.economies. The chilling statistic from a senior Palmer in an
:08:10. > :08:16.accountancy firm who said that our biggest export earner to China at
:08:16. > :08:23.the moment, not Jaguar or Land Rovers, but scrap metal. What does
:08:23. > :08:27.that say about the challenges that lie ahead? There is limited growth
:08:27. > :08:31.in the UK, not much growth in the eurozone. So we are looking at
:08:31. > :08:35.markets like Brazil, Russia, China, parts of the Middle East and Africa,
:08:35. > :08:40.where there is growing demand for the product. What does this mean in
:08:40. > :08:44.terms of jobs and unemployment? Also in the unemployment figures
:08:44. > :08:49.today, creditably, the private sector has actually created 26,000
:08:49. > :08:54.jobs over the year to September, but worryingly, more than 37,000
:08:54. > :08:59.public sector jobs were lost. The challenge for the Government is to
:08:59. > :09:05.rebalance that equation, or they will be vulnerable to the chart
:09:05. > :09:08.Nicol was putting to Mark Garnier, that it simply isn't working.
:09:08. > :09:11.Thank you very much. And we'll have more on the region's economy in
:09:11. > :09:14.tomorrow's programme, when we'll be looking at the state of the High
:09:14. > :09:17.Street. There'll also be more on that throughout the day on your BBC
:09:17. > :09:19.local radio station. Good to have you with us this
:09:19. > :09:29.evening. Later, the walking tours around Shrewsbury, once transformed
:09:29. > :09:33.
:09:33. > :09:36.Dickensian-style to film A A 22-year-old man who set up a
:09:36. > :09:40.website called Letz Start A Riot during the summer riots is
:09:40. > :09:44.beginning a jail term tonight. Danny Cook said he did it as a joke,
:09:44. > :09:47.but the judge said it was a very serious offence and he would be
:09:47. > :09:53.failing in his duty if he did not impose a substantial sentence. Andy
:09:53. > :09:55.Newman reports. Jailed over a website for would-be
:09:55. > :10:01.rioters. During the height of this summer's disturbances, 22-year-old
:10:01. > :10:06.Danny Cook set up a Facebook page called Letz Start A Riot. Comments
:10:06. > :10:08.he added included "loads to be smashed" And "I want in". In the
:10:08. > :10:12.event, the troubles which sprewd across Birmingham and the Black
:10:12. > :10:22.Country did not reach his home town of Kidderminster, but today he paid
:10:22. > :10:23.
:10:23. > :10:27.The defendant even posted a poem on his website: There's a riot going
:10:27. > :10:32.on from Brum to London, tell you what, I don't want to sit back
:10:32. > :10:37.because I want to join them. He later told police he set up the
:10:37. > :10:44.website as a joke, and created the page out of boredom. He closed it
:10:44. > :10:48.down within an hour. The court regarded it as a serious offence,
:10:48. > :10:52.as reflected in the sentence. Inciting others is a serious
:10:52. > :10:55.offence and his own right. 16-year- old Johhny Melfah from Droitwich,
:10:55. > :10:57.here dodging the cameras at a previous hearing, was one of 44
:10:57. > :10:59.people who joined the Facebook group. Sentencing him back in
:10:59. > :11:09.September, magistrates lifted that anonymity that would normally be
:11:09. > :11:10.
:11:10. > :11:16.given to a teenager to name and shame him. So, did these internet
:11:16. > :11:21.offenders think they could get away with it? It could be any of us, at
:11:21. > :11:26.home, maybe had a bit too much to drink and think it is funny, or
:11:26. > :11:29.maybe bravado in front of friends. Any one of us could do it.
:11:29. > :11:34.Justice Butterfield sentenced Cook to two-and-a-half years, half of
:11:34. > :11:37.that to be served in custody and the other half on licence. He said
:11:37. > :11:41.it was a very serious offence, committed in the context of writing
:11:41. > :11:51.across the country, and he would be failing in his public duty if he
:11:51. > :11:51.
:11:51. > :11:54.did not impose a substantial custodial sentence.
:11:54. > :11:57.In other news: A man's appeared in court charged with murdering a
:11:57. > :11:59.security guard who vanished seven years ago. Martin Stafford, of no
:11:59. > :12:02.fixed address, is accused of killing 38-year-old Michelle
:12:02. > :12:05.Gunshon. She was staying at the Dubliner pub in Digbeth in
:12:05. > :12:07.Birmingham while working at the NEC, but hasn't been seen since December
:12:07. > :12:10.2004. Mr Stafford, who's been extradited from the Republic of
:12:10. > :12:14.Ireland, was remanded in custody by Birmingham magistrates.
:12:14. > :12:22.UK Coal has been ordered to pay �1.2 million after four miners died
:12:22. > :12:25.following safety breaches at two of its collieries. Anthony Garrigan,
:12:25. > :12:30.Paul Hunt and Trevor Steeples died in accidents at the Daw Mill
:12:30. > :12:34.colliery near Coventry in 2006 and 2007. Paul Milner died after an
:12:34. > :12:37.accident at the now-closed Welbeck Colliery in Nottinghamshire in 2007.
:12:37. > :12:40.The firm admitted offences under health and safety laws during an
:12:40. > :12:44.earlier hearing at Sheffield Crown Court.
:12:44. > :12:47.The body of a teenage woman has been discovered at a flat in Stoke-
:12:47. > :12:50.on-Trent. Police are describing the death as unexplained while they
:12:50. > :12:53.await the results of a post mortem examination. Our Staffordshire
:12:53. > :13:01.reporter Liz Copper joins us now. Liz, what more do we know about
:13:01. > :13:06.this? Well, although this young woman is yet to be formally
:13:06. > :13:10.identified, this evening the police said the understand she is Victoria
:13:10. > :13:14.Heiton, 18. Her body was discovered by a visitor to her flat he came
:13:14. > :13:18.here around 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon and then alerted the
:13:18. > :13:21.emergency services. A post-mortem examination is being conducted,
:13:21. > :13:25.although the results were not expected to be made public until at
:13:25. > :13:31.least tomorrow morning. Police have been here all day, and earlier this
:13:31. > :13:37.evening, I spoke to inspector Chris Hines. We have stepped up police
:13:37. > :13:40.patrols in the area handing out leaflets to locals to tell people
:13:40. > :13:45.what is happening in terms of the investigation. We will continue
:13:45. > :13:48.that affright the week to reassure local communities, and if anyone
:13:48. > :13:55.has any information or concerns, they should contact their local
:13:55. > :14:01.police station. What's been the reaction in the local area?
:14:01. > :14:04.A great deal of shock. A while ago, friends arrived at a lay tributes.
:14:04. > :14:07.They all said that they hoped that people would not jump to
:14:07. > :14:14.conclusions about exactly what had happened here, but would wait for
:14:14. > :14:18.the outcome and the details of that One person has died after a fire at
:14:18. > :14:21.a flat in Worcester. West Mercia Police are treating it as arson.
:14:21. > :14:24.The victim, who has not been identified, was found in a first-
:14:24. > :14:27.floor flat in Chedworth Close on the Warndon estate in the early
:14:27. > :14:31.hours of this morning. The fire was so severe, forensic teams couldn't
:14:31. > :14:34.get into the flat until late this afternoon.
:14:35. > :14:38.Two people have been charged with the murder of a two-year-old boy
:14:38. > :14:42.from Birmingham. Keanu Williams died in January this year at a
:14:42. > :14:46.house in Ward End. A post-mortem examination found he had died of
:14:46. > :14:48.''non-accidental'' injuries. A 23- year-old woman and a 30-year-old
:14:48. > :14:55.man will appear before Birmingham Magistrates tomorrow charged with
:14:55. > :14:58.causing or allowing the death of a child and child cruelty.
:14:58. > :15:02.Police in Gloucestershire say they believe extreme weather conditions
:15:02. > :15:06.were a major factor in a crash on the M5 last night in which a driver
:15:06. > :15:15.died. Three lorries and two cars were involved in a collision just
:15:15. > :15:21.north of Cheltenham. Tonight more bad weather is expected and the
:15:21. > :15:26.Highways Agency are warning drivers to take extra care.
:15:26. > :15:30.Conditions last night were difficult, to say the least.
:15:30. > :15:36.Because of the weather, police had warned drivers to be careful. There
:15:36. > :15:42.was a sudden flash down part higher at 9:30pm. Drivers said it froze
:15:42. > :15:50.instantly and they could not see lane markings. A car stuck to help
:15:50. > :15:55.another driver and was hit. The driver of his lorry was killed.
:15:55. > :15:59.There will be a lengthy investigation but police say a
:15:59. > :16:04.major role in the crash was plays by the weather conditions.
:16:04. > :16:09.The witnesses and offices at the scene describes the road as an ice
:16:09. > :16:12.rink. We believe it was a major factor with regard to the
:16:12. > :16:16.commission itself. They must passing the crash last
:16:16. > :16:22.night said the driving conditions were among the worst they had
:16:22. > :16:28.experienced. We hit rain, hail and it was clear
:16:28. > :16:32.there was a bad smash up. The lorry was and 90 degrees to the motorway
:16:32. > :16:35.hands of a lot of firemen were working on it. You felt like
:16:35. > :16:39.someone had stab you in the heart because it was clear it was a very
:16:39. > :16:44.bad incident. The M5 northbound was closed for
:16:44. > :16:47.several hours. Police have been busy this week due to the weather
:16:47. > :16:51.on the roads. They are warning drivers to be more cautious than
:16:51. > :16:59.normal. Hale and bad weather can come on
:16:59. > :17:03.very quickly. Double the two-second rule in that bad weather. With
:17:03. > :17:08.worse weather forecast for later in the week, the gritting teams are
:17:08. > :17:15.starting their annual battle against the ice and snow.
:17:15. > :17:19.Stockpiles and Rhodes sold at their highest level for two years.
:17:19. > :17:26.Let us speak to Steve now. Do we have more details about the man who
:17:26. > :17:33.died? No, he was a 55-year-old man. He
:17:33. > :17:38.died so last night. The police are not prepared to say anything
:17:38. > :17:42.officially until they have more details from the investigating team.
:17:42. > :17:46.I can see all the grit has lined up behind you and more bad weather is
:17:46. > :17:52.predicted. What plans are in place to prevent another tragedy like
:17:52. > :17:56.this? The grazing dreams will be out
:17:56. > :18:04.tonight. The north Cotswolds will be sorted out in the next half-an-
:18:04. > :18:09.hour also. -- the gritting seems. There has been some unexpected snow
:18:09. > :18:14.earlier this evening. It is unpredictable and that does creates
:18:14. > :18:21.at ice and snow problems for drivers. To be careful hands the
:18:21. > :18:24.gritting teams are doing their best in difficult conditions.
:18:24. > :18:28.The weather has been pretty grim in the last 24 hours and it doesn't
:18:28. > :18:31.look as if it is going to get any better, Shefali? No, it doesn't. We
:18:31. > :18:35.may have escaped the threat of a storm but the prospects are grim.
:18:35. > :18:45.This is what you could be getting in its place - up to 10cm of snow
:18:45. > :18:51.
:18:51. > :18:55.and treacherous conditions. Join me Not looking good at all. Really
:18:55. > :18:58.grim. A dad whose ten-year-old son nearly
:18:58. > :19:01.died after being knocked off his bike says he is concerned a period
:19:01. > :19:04.of specialist therapy he is undergoing could end earlier than
:19:04. > :19:07.first recommended. Josh Dudley was in a coma for more
:19:07. > :19:12.than two months after the accident near his home in Willenhall near
:19:12. > :19:17.Wolverhampton. Kevin Reide reports. Josh Dudley was just nine years old
:19:17. > :19:24.when he lost control of his bike and went into the path of a car.
:19:24. > :19:31.His dad was confronted with every parent's worst nightmare.
:19:31. > :19:37.I ran up to the scene. I thought he was dead on the road. I had to
:19:37. > :19:41.revive him, bring him back ground. At the time, auto pilot kicks in
:19:41. > :19:49.and you do what you have to do. It was not until after he had been
:19:49. > :19:52.taken to hospital but it dawns on me what had gone on. I was so lucky
:19:52. > :19:56.to have him still there. After two months in a coma, Josh
:19:56. > :19:59.came around but was unable to walk or talk and so was transferred to
:19:59. > :20:08.this specialist Children's Centre at Tadworth in Surrey where he has
:20:08. > :20:15.made remarkable progress. One of the main forms of treatment
:20:15. > :20:20.carried out here is hydrotherapy. In this pool, he can learn to use
:20:20. > :20:24.his limbs again without the pain of weight-bearing.
:20:25. > :20:29.When Josh first came here we had seek change in in the changing
:20:30. > :20:34.rooms because he could not sit up unaided. He has progressed to a
:20:34. > :20:38.chair and is now he is walking in and out of the water. It is
:20:38. > :20:46.phenomenal progress. What was the best bit about that,
:20:46. > :20:55.Josh? Jumping in and getting dad where it.
:20:55. > :20:58.-- getting dad whacked. Is this going to be on CV?
:20:58. > :21:00.It might be. The Children's Centre has
:21:00. > :21:02.recommended Josh completes six months of treatment, meaning he
:21:03. > :21:05.would come home mid-February but Walsall have only committed funding
:21:05. > :21:08.until mid-January. In the meantime, Josh's parents have embarked on
:21:08. > :21:16.their own fundraising as they want to ensure their son stays where
:21:16. > :21:19.they believe he is getting the best possible treatment.
:21:19. > :21:22.And tonight Walsall Primary Care Trust told us they are in talks
:21:22. > :21:24.with the Children's Centre and are aiming for Josh to come home
:21:25. > :21:28.towards the end of January, on condition that all the necessary
:21:28. > :21:31.supports for him here will be in place.
:21:31. > :21:35.Onto football and Stoke City are playing their final group match in
:21:35. > :21:38.the Europa League against Besiktas in Turkey right now. They have
:21:38. > :21:48.already qualified for the knock-out stages but need a point to top the
:21:48. > :21:50.
:21:50. > :21:56.group. It is going well so far. They lead 1-0 at half-time. The
:21:56. > :21:58.scorers bravery nearly got them a second so it is all going well so
:21:58. > :22:02.far. And you can hear second-half
:22:02. > :22:05.commentary on that match on BBC Radio Stoke from 7 o'clock.
:22:05. > :22:08.In cricket, the England batsman Jonathan Trott has signed a three-
:22:08. > :22:10.year contract extension with Warwickshire. Trott was voted the
:22:10. > :22:15.ICC's cricketer of the year for 2011 after his performances for
:22:15. > :22:24.England. His new contract will keep him at Edgbaston until the end of
:22:25. > :22:27.the 2015 season. Let us go back in time a bit now.
:22:27. > :22:30.Charles Dicken's novel A Christmas Carol has long been a festive
:22:30. > :22:33.favourite when it comes to film adaptations but did you know that
:22:33. > :22:36.Shrewsbury was picked as a filming location for the version starring
:22:36. > :22:40.Academy Award winner George C Scott? It was made in 1984 when the
:22:40. > :22:43.town was taken over for six weeks. This weekend, tours are being
:22:43. > :22:46.offered for those who want a trip down memory lane. We sent our arts
:22:46. > :22:55.reporter Satnam Rana to discover some of the people and sites
:22:55. > :22:59.involved. Marley was as dead as a doornail.
:22:59. > :23:01.The opening scene for A Christmas Carol. Look closer and you can see
:23:01. > :23:08.this is Shrewsbury's Market Square, all transformed into Victorian
:23:08. > :23:13.London, but why did the film crew pick Shrewsbury back in 1984?
:23:13. > :23:20.It was quite an accident, really. They decided to film on location
:23:20. > :23:24.and went around the country. The echoes of Christmas past linger
:23:24. > :23:28.through many buildings. Tanners Wine Merchants is one of them. 27
:23:28. > :23:32.years ago it became Mr Fezzywigs' drapers.
:23:32. > :23:35.The customers loved it. They loved the thought of next door they are
:23:35. > :23:39.filming A Christmas Carol and they were told to keep still and they
:23:39. > :23:44.froze, you know. And then there were the extras.
:23:44. > :23:47.Jenny Ward, seen here in the grey dress, was one of them.
:23:47. > :23:52.We came in here and looked at the scene and it was so different and
:23:52. > :23:54.then we were told what we had to do and where to stand, so it was very
:23:54. > :24:04.exciting. Choristers were drafted in from
:24:04. > :24:08.across the town. Just a street, any street. This
:24:08. > :24:11.house! Every Christmas it comes out. It's
:24:11. > :24:21.a ritual in Shrewsbury that those who took part take out the DVD and
:24:21. > :24:22.
:24:22. > :24:28.watch it all over again. 18 locations we used in the city
:24:28. > :24:33.with 500 local people used as extras. It was filmed in spring and
:24:33. > :24:36.60 tons of snow was shipped nth. But it wasn't all glitzy and
:24:36. > :24:38.glamorous, as town crier Martin Wood recalls. He was Edward
:24:38. > :24:41.Woodward's stand-in. It was Martin's finger that did all the
:24:41. > :24:44.pointing. It was 2 o'clock in the morning
:24:44. > :24:54.when we filmed the scene. Freezing cold, completely covered in snow
:24:54. > :25:01.from ice machines and snow machines. There was a spotlight there was a
:25:01. > :25:04.poster be the Moon to give the airy atmosphere.
:25:04. > :25:07.It's an atmosphere that can be rekindled by so many in Shrewsbury.
:25:07. > :25:17.And for those who want to be bah humbug, think twice. Scrooge's
:25:17. > :25:17.
:25:17. > :25:23.gravestone still remains. Martin is very tall indeed!
:25:24. > :25:26.Some treacherous weather on the way soon. Since yesterday we've
:25:27. > :25:32.switched our emphasis from storms to snow which is probably going to
:25:32. > :25:35.be of greater concern seeing as there could be a fair bit of it.
:25:35. > :25:38.The centre of this low pressure is now heading further south and east,
:25:38. > :25:41.taking its stormy weather with it but on its northern flank we see
:25:41. > :25:44.this rather prominent area of white smothering the Midlands which is
:25:44. > :25:46.snow and for which the Met Office have issued a yellow warning for
:25:46. > :25:56.Thursday night and more particularly into the early hours
:25:56. > :26:02.
:26:02. > :26:05.of Friday morning. There is quite a wide Roche over our region. So
:26:06. > :26:11.we'll come to that in a moment but tonight our main problem will be
:26:11. > :26:14.ice after the rain, some of which could turn to wet snow. It's in the
:26:14. > :26:17.next couple of hours that temperatures are falling away to
:26:17. > :26:20.freezing and during this period we've got an area of low pressure
:26:20. > :26:23.crossing us and that's going to draw this raft of showers in from
:26:23. > :26:26.off the Bristol Channel that could appear as longer and heavier spells
:26:26. > :26:29.of rain and it's very likely that some that could turn wintry and not
:26:29. > :26:32.just be confined to the west but also elsewhere. So wintriness,
:26:32. > :26:36.iciness the main things to be aware of tonight and even tomorrow
:26:36. > :26:39.morning. Even tomorrow it doesn't stop there with the next batch of
:26:39. > :26:49.showers starting to roll in from the west, although they will begin
:26:49. > :26:49.
:26:50. > :26:53.to show signs of easing through the afternoon. Some sunshine to end the
:26:53. > :26:56.day. Temperatures around seven Celsius. And so we come to the part
:26:56. > :26:59.of this week that's going to pose the greatest problem by the looks
:27:00. > :27:02.of things. Heavy rain arrives in the west by tomorrow evening,
:27:02. > :27:05.spreading eastwards as that comes into contact with the cold
:27:05. > :27:08.northwesterly winds gusting to 50mph in places. It will turn to
:27:08. > :27:12.snow and that then spreads south through the early hours of Friday
:27:12. > :27:15.morning. So in terms of quantities, up to 10cm, so treacherous
:27:15. > :27:23.conditions and this snow continuing on and off through much of Friday,
:27:23. > :27:27.only beginning to ease through the evening.
:27:27. > :27:30.A look at tonight's main headlines: Unemployment rises to its highest
:27:30. > :27:34.level for 17 years. Nationally, 2.6 million people are now without a