:00:07. > :00:10.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.
:00:10. > :00:12.The headlines tonight: Caught on camera - two Midlands
:00:12. > :00:16.members of a gang jailed over a �250 million international VAT
:00:17. > :00:26.fraud. As MPs debate Stafford Hospital,
:00:27. > :00:28.
:00:28. > :00:33.the Trust says it's on target to fully re-open its A&E department.
:00:33. > :00:36.am confident, 80% confident it will be open to the timetable we have
:00:36. > :00:43.set. An investigation begins after a
:00:43. > :00:47.hospital failed to spot a pensioner had terminal cancer. My mother was
:00:47. > :00:51.sent home and the remaining 78 days of her life, she spent with no
:00:51. > :00:53.palliative care and in pain. And hope for the Potteries' finest
:00:53. > :01:03.- billionaire, John Caudwell, says he may buy the historic Wedgwood
:01:03. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:11.Collection and save it from being Good evening, welcome to Tuesday's
:01:11. > :01:14.Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight: Jailed for a total of
:01:14. > :01:21.almost 100 years - the fraudsters who tricked taxpayers out of a
:01:21. > :01:24.staggering �250 million. The gang of 15, which included six people
:01:24. > :01:29.from the Midlands, was captured after a ten-year operation by
:01:29. > :01:32.Revenue and Customs officials involving 350 officers. The
:01:32. > :01:34.investigation revealed a complex web of companies, set up with the
:01:34. > :01:41.sole intention of fraudulently claiming millions in VAT from
:01:41. > :01:46.mobile phone sales. The money was then spent to fund a lavish
:01:46. > :01:49.lifestyle. These are the faces of six Midlands
:01:49. > :01:54.fraudsters - two from Staffordshire, four from Coventry and Warwickshire
:01:54. > :01:58.- all part of a 15-strong gang. They imported and exported mobile
:01:58. > :02:07.phones for tax evasion and today saw the last of a series of court
:02:08. > :02:12.cases where they and nine others were jailed. This was an
:02:12. > :02:17.investigation into fraud on unprecedented scale, which led to
:02:17. > :02:19.the theft of �250 million from the UK Exchequer.
:02:20. > :02:23.Their crime is known as Carousel fraud. First mobile phones are
:02:23. > :02:26.imported VAT free but then sold on including VAT, which is not passed
:02:26. > :02:29.on to the tax office. Then the phones are exported by another part
:02:29. > :02:35.of the gang, but this time they claim what appear to be legitimate
:02:35. > :02:38.tax credits from the government. Father and son, Hashib and Eisa
:02:38. > :02:44.Apabhai, from Bedworth operated one bogus company involved from this
:02:44. > :02:47.address in the Holbrooks area of Coventry. They were filmed on CCTV
:02:47. > :02:51.at Luton Airport as part of the investigation and were jailed for
:02:51. > :02:56.seven and a half, and four years. In Staffordshire, Marcus Hughes,
:02:56. > :02:59.ran another fraudulent company at Blythe Business Park. It was used
:03:00. > :03:02.to move consignments of phones. This long-running investigation has
:03:02. > :03:04.highlighted connections between fraud and other types of crimes,
:03:04. > :03:07.for example when customs officers were searching the offices of
:03:08. > :03:17.Marcus Hughes in Staffordshire, a lorry turned up and on the back -
:03:18. > :03:19.
:03:19. > :03:28.two tonnes of cannabis resin with a street value of �5 million.
:03:28. > :03:32.Hughes was jailed for six years for fraud and 12 for drug smuggling.
:03:32. > :03:36.This was a very complex investigation, not least given the
:03:36. > :03:40.international nature of the fraud and the number of people who
:03:40. > :03:46.participated and the huge number of exhibits that were lifted during
:03:46. > :03:50.searches. There were half-a-million documents, 130 computer hard disks
:03:50. > :03:53.to be scrutinised. The last of the 15 gang members was jailed for nine
:03:53. > :03:56.years today and his assets including a yacht and luxury homes
:03:56. > :03:59.in London and Spain have been frozen.
:03:59. > :04:03.And you can find more on that story on the BBC Coventry and
:04:03. > :04:07.Warwickshire website. Later in the programme: Celebrating
:04:07. > :04:15.the legend known as the father of football - the Scotsman who was the
:04:15. > :04:17.chairman of Aston Villa and founder of the Football League.
:04:17. > :04:23.A man's been arrested on suspicion of a terrorism offence after
:04:23. > :04:27.arriving at Birmingham Airport. Police say he was suspected of
:04:27. > :04:30.having a document which could be of use to someone planning a terrorist
:04:30. > :04:38.act. Ben Sidwell joins us now from the newsroom. Ben what more do we
:04:38. > :04:43.know? A 22-year-old man was arrested
:04:43. > :04:49.yesterday evening after arriving from Dubai. Police say he is a
:04:49. > :04:56.Pakistani national with a student visa. There won't say which
:04:56. > :05:03.university he is studying at. He was arrested after a random baggage
:05:03. > :05:06.check after them finding a document. West Midlands police say the man
:05:06. > :05:12.posed no immediate threat either to the airport or the public. Although
:05:12. > :05:17.he has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a Terrorism attack,
:05:17. > :05:22.he was arrested under the terms of the Police and Criminal evidence
:05:22. > :05:25.Act, so he has to be held for four days before he is either charge,
:05:25. > :05:28.baled or released. Managers at Stafford Hospital say
:05:28. > :05:32.they're making good progress in recruiting the medical staff they
:05:32. > :05:34.need to fully re-open the A&E emergency unit in March. The news
:05:34. > :05:42.comes as MPs held a debate this afternoon into the controversial
:05:42. > :05:45.decision to close the doors of the unit at night for three months.
:05:45. > :05:48.It was always going to be a contentious decision and so it
:05:48. > :05:52.proved, a candle-lit vigil when A&E first closed overnight at Stafford
:05:52. > :05:59.demonstrated the strength of feeling. The hospital says the
:05:59. > :06:03.decision was taken because staff shortages were jeopardising safety.
:06:03. > :06:05.Today, an update on its progress in finding new recruits. It's set a
:06:05. > :06:11.target of having five permanent senior A&E doctors - including
:06:11. > :06:13.consultants. It now has three in post and a fourth starting at the
:06:13. > :06:18.end of January. As for other, middle grade, emergency doctors,
:06:18. > :06:27.the target is seven. The trust has four in post, another's soon to
:06:27. > :06:32.start and a further 14 applicants will be interviewed in January.
:06:32. > :06:38.am 80% confident we will reopen to the timetable we have set. So in
:06:38. > :06:43.March. I think the programme we followed so far is going reasonably
:06:43. > :06:46.well. We are reasonably pleased, but as you can tell from me, I am
:06:46. > :06:48.still cautious. The trust says arrangements with the Ambulance
:06:48. > :06:52.service to transfer patients to neighbouring hospitals have run
:06:52. > :06:55.smoothly. Only a handful of patients have arrived at A&E and
:06:55. > :06:58.been turned away. The closure came under scrutiny during a debate at
:06:58. > :07:04.Westminster today. Whatever its rights or wrongs it's unlikely to
:07:04. > :07:07.be reopened until a meeting of the trust board in February.
:07:07. > :07:10.Our Political Editor, Patrick Burns, joins us now from Westminster where
:07:10. > :07:20.MPs have been debating that temporary closure of the A&E unit
:07:20. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:26.at Stafford. Patrick what was said? Opening the debate, the
:07:26. > :07:30.Conservative MP for Stafford said this temporary closure had been
:07:30. > :07:37.necessary. But he was joined by a succession of neighbouring
:07:37. > :07:44.Conservative MPs saying that once those problems have been dealt with,
:07:44. > :07:48.then those 24 hours services should be restored. I'm joined by the MP.
:07:49. > :07:54.The word confidence, you used it, the minister used it time and time
:07:54. > :08:01.again. By you confident that level of confidence can be reached and
:08:01. > :08:05.the March deadline can be hit? I am. Members of Parliament get it
:08:05. > :08:09.reports on what is going on and I am confident that everything
:08:09. > :08:15.necessary is being done. necessary note of caution was
:08:15. > :08:21.struck by the minister in reply. She spelt out what it would take to
:08:21. > :08:26.get 24 hours services up and running again. It would be unwise
:08:26. > :08:30.to return to 24 hours opening until it is safe to do so. To minimise
:08:30. > :08:36.the risk I understand the trust has set criteria which must be met
:08:36. > :08:41.before overnight operating would resume. One of the challenges that
:08:41. > :08:45.has been acknowledged by the NHS Trust is recruitment. Do you think
:08:45. > :08:49.maybe some health professionals may be deterred from applying for those
:08:49. > :08:53.jobs at Stafford because of its troubled history? It is
:08:53. > :09:01.increasingly not the case. We are seeing a number of people applying
:09:01. > :09:06.for those jobs. Clearly, the history has given us some problems,
:09:06. > :09:10.but I am confident the hospital is turning the corner, staff are
:09:10. > :09:16.working incredibly hard. I'm grateful to them for all they are
:09:16. > :09:22.doing. The next stage in this is a progress report by hospital
:09:22. > :09:25.managers on 26th January. The hospital trust with the worst
:09:25. > :09:28.complaints record in the country is being investigated once again,
:09:28. > :09:30.after staff at one of its hospitals failed to diagnose a case of
:09:30. > :09:33.terminal cancer. The Health Ombudsman is now going to
:09:33. > :09:35.investigate the case at the Heart of England NHS Trust, which had 171
:09:35. > :09:41.complaints last year. Here's our health correspondent, Michele
:09:41. > :09:44.Paduano. Clara Stant had kidney failure and
:09:44. > :09:47.a heart condition, but in her family's eyes that makes the 78-
:09:47. > :09:50.year-old's treatment more shocking. They were assured after she had
:09:50. > :09:54.been in Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield for nine days that
:09:55. > :10:00.she wouldn't be sent home. But they say that they had just ten minutes
:10:00. > :10:02.warning that she was already in an ambulance on the way home. I am
:10:02. > :10:06.extremely angry because basically my mother was sent home and the
:10:06. > :10:13.remaining 78 days of her life, she spent with no palliative care and
:10:13. > :10:19.in pain. The discharge from Good Hope Hospital was carried out by a
:10:19. > :10:24.second-year doctor, Hala Kanona. This discharge letter was dated the
:10:24. > :10:29.week before. It hadn't been updated. The consultant, Alan Jewkes, said
:10:29. > :10:33.he sent a letter to the GP requesting scans. There is
:10:33. > :10:39.confirmation that letter is not on Mrs Stant's record. Within two days
:10:39. > :10:43.of Mrs Stant leaving hospital, her infection had returned.
:10:43. > :10:46.emergency doctor had to come out and my mother still had a rampant
:10:47. > :10:52.urine infection. Her urine was like oatmeal and he was quite shocked
:10:52. > :10:54.that she had been sent home. Health Service Ombudsman has now
:10:54. > :10:59.agreed to investigate whether the discharge from hospital was
:10:59. > :11:02.inappropriate with inadequate paper work. The trust failed to diagnose
:11:03. > :11:07.cancer. The complaint handling was inadequate. Clara Stant was
:11:07. > :11:11.suffering with a large tumour in her stomach. The cancer had spread
:11:11. > :11:14.to her lungs. Her daughter was in Australia when she died two months
:11:14. > :11:22.later. She was sent home with absolutely no support whatsoever
:11:22. > :11:25.and I will always worry that I should have done more. In a written
:11:25. > :11:29.statement, Heart of England NHS Trust which runs Good Hope accepts
:11:29. > :11:39.that the discharge could have been managed better. In a statement it
:11:39. > :11:40.
:11:40. > :11:47.Julia Hawkins hopes that means others will not endure her mother's
:11:47. > :11:51.suffering. A police investigation is under way
:11:51. > :11:54.into a suspicious death in Stoke- on-Trent. The body of a 58-year-old
:11:54. > :11:58.man was found at a house on Westbourne Drive, in Tunstall, last
:11:58. > :12:02.night. A 41-year-old man from Tunstall has been arrested as part
:12:02. > :12:04.of the inquiry. Detectives are investigating an
:12:04. > :12:08.armed robbery near Solihull in which a postmaster was attacked
:12:08. > :12:10.with a handgun and an axe. Two men walked into the Hampton in Arden
:12:10. > :12:14.Post Office and threatened the owner. The 58-year-old was attacked
:12:14. > :12:24.after he refused to open the safe. He was later taken to hospital with
:12:24. > :12:24.
:12:24. > :12:26.facial injuries. The robbers escaped empty handed.
:12:26. > :12:29.The Staffordshire mobile phone tycoon, John Caudwell, has said
:12:29. > :12:33.he'll buy the historic Wedgwood Collection to save it from being
:12:33. > :12:36.broken up. It comes after a court ruled it could be sold to help pay
:12:36. > :12:38.off a pension fund deficit. The pension black hole dates from when
:12:38. > :12:40.Waterford Wedgwood collapsed into administration. Our Staffordshire
:12:40. > :12:45.reporter, Liz Copper's, been following the story and is at the
:12:45. > :12:55.Museum in Barlaston now. Liz, tell us more about this offer from Mr
:12:55. > :12:55.
:12:55. > :12:59.Caudwell. He made this gesture following
:12:59. > :13:04.yesterday's Court ruling. He is the entrepreneur who made his fortune
:13:04. > :13:08.from a mobile phone business. In a statement today he said he felt it
:13:08. > :13:13.was grossly unfair that a law designed to protect people in
:13:13. > :13:19.totally different circumstances is causing such Warwick. When I spoke
:13:19. > :13:23.to him, he said he felt this museum was a huge part of Stoke-on-Trent's
:13:23. > :13:30.history and it would be a tragedy if the collection was spoke --
:13:30. > :13:34.broken up. That is why he wants to speak to the trustees. What do you
:13:34. > :13:40.make of this offer today? We are delighted to hear of this wonderful
:13:40. > :13:43.support. We are looking to talk to him as soon as possible. There has
:13:43. > :13:48.to be a consensus today that something needs to be done to make
:13:48. > :13:52.sure this collection stays together? It does need to be saved,
:13:52. > :13:55.it is a unique record of a manufacturing heritage. The
:13:55. > :13:59.uniqueness of this collection is that many of the pieces have
:13:59. > :14:04.remained together since they were made in the 18th century. It
:14:04. > :14:10.reflects the history right through to today. Thanks for joining us. In
:14:10. > :14:14.a separate development, an MP for Stoke-on-Trent has had a meeting
:14:14. > :14:18.with the cultural minister. What seemed to emerge from that it was a
:14:18. > :14:22.cross-party sense of support for the museum and also a sense of
:14:22. > :14:25.determination that some sort of arrangement and agreement must be
:14:25. > :14:27.made to make sure this collection stays together.
:14:28. > :14:32.Flood victims fear home insurance premiums will rise dramatically in
:14:32. > :14:35.the New Year. An agreement is due to end soon between the Government
:14:35. > :14:41.and the insurance industry which up until now has made flood insurance
:14:41. > :14:45.widely available. But as yet, no new deal has been reached.
:14:45. > :14:55.Helicopter rescues and streets submerged. The images of the 2007
:14:55. > :14:55.
:14:55. > :14:58.floods are still shocking. If the water comes in, take these out and
:14:58. > :15:01.put them back in again. Judy Gibson's home in Uckinghall,
:15:01. > :15:03.Worcestershire was under four foot of water. She's made it flood
:15:03. > :15:12.resilient and has affordable insurance, but not all of her
:15:12. > :15:16.neighbours are so lucky. There is a house only 400 yards away from here.
:15:16. > :15:22.It has never been flooded and he was refused insurance. Another man
:15:22. > :15:27.was flooded with a very small amounts, he did not have to leave
:15:27. > :15:30.his home and he has a �6,500 flood excess. The high bills are in spite
:15:30. > :15:33.of the village having a new flood defence. Judy Gibson's hoping
:15:33. > :15:36.insurers come up with a better and fairer insurance system. But time
:15:36. > :15:38.is running out. At the moment an agreement's in place between the
:15:38. > :15:41.Government and the Insurance industry called the statement of
:15:41. > :15:43.principles. It's a quid pro quo: insurers make flood insurance
:15:43. > :15:46.widely available, the Government builds flood barriers. But the
:15:46. > :15:49.deal's due to end. The Government says both it and the insurance
:15:49. > :15:52.industry remain committed to making sure flood insurance is widely
:15:52. > :15:55.available. But not everyone is convinced. Campaigners fear that
:15:55. > :16:05.come the new year the cost of home insurance for thousands of flood
:16:05. > :16:12.victims will soar. The ordinary man on the street at risk of flooding,
:16:12. > :16:15.will we be able to afford it? We have to remember, if people cannot
:16:15. > :16:19.afford it palmate their mortgage and all and void and it will affect
:16:19. > :16:22.the saleability of their property. It could blight whole communities.
:16:22. > :16:28.Insurers say they're frustrated at what they see as Government
:16:28. > :16:33.inaction. If we let the statement of principles expire and we don't
:16:33. > :16:36.replace it, people will struggle to access affordable flood cover. Not
:16:37. > :16:40.everyone, it will be a small number of people but it might be a
:16:40. > :16:43.significant number of people. are continuing with an announcement
:16:43. > :16:47.due in the Spring. Still to come in tonight's
:16:47. > :16:52.programme: He's traditionally said to have robbed the rich to give to
:16:52. > :16:55.the poor. This Robin Hood robbed the rich too, but kept it himself!
:16:55. > :16:58.And if you're dreaming of a white Christmas, what are the chances of
:16:59. > :17:08.actually getting one? Find out all you need to know in the forecast
:17:09. > :17:10.
:17:11. > :17:13.later. Now here's Dan with the sport.
:17:13. > :17:17.Another week, another crunch game for Wolves in the Premier League.
:17:17. > :17:20.Tonight they host newly-promoted Norwich City at Molineux. And with
:17:20. > :17:25.festive fixtures to come against Arsenal and Chelsea, defeat tonight
:17:25. > :17:30.could mean a miserable Christmas for Wolves fans. So they've got
:17:30. > :17:37.baubles - Wolves crackers and plenty of tinsel. But there's still
:17:37. > :17:41.something missing. There are plenty of signs of Christmas here, but not
:17:41. > :17:45.too much Christmas cheer. That would improve with three points
:17:45. > :17:49.against Norwich because after that the festive period is tough. And
:17:49. > :17:54.one thing's for sure, manager Mick McCarthy will be up for the fight.
:17:54. > :17:58.I have been doing that for about 30 years on and off as a player and
:17:59. > :18:04.manager. It doesn't take much for me to get up for the game. Have you
:18:04. > :18:11.seen me on the sidelines recently? Do I look relaxed and calm and not
:18:11. > :18:19.up for it? They have been here before. In November at the visit of
:18:19. > :18:24.Wigan was billed as a must win, and they did. Likewise, Sunderland's
:18:24. > :18:29.visit earlier this month. They fell behind but one. The manager hopes
:18:30. > :18:34.the big games bring out the best in his side. I hope so, because it is
:18:34. > :18:38.a big game. I look back over last season and we have had defeats and
:18:38. > :18:44.come back and beaten some of the best teams. Perhaps the biggest
:18:44. > :18:49.threat comes from a former Shrewsbury Town striker. Grant
:18:49. > :18:54.Holt's seven goals this season have helped newly promoted Norwich to
:18:54. > :19:04.9th in the table. Wolverhampton Wanderers will hope they will keep
:19:04. > :19:06.
:19:06. > :19:12.their club and a Premier League through 20 trials.
:19:12. > :19:17.The Aston Villa midfielder Barry Banham has admitted today he is
:19:17. > :19:22.lucky to be alive after a drink- driving in a crash last month.
:19:22. > :19:27.Today, he spoke about the incident as part of an anti- drink-driving
:19:28. > :19:32.initiative. He admits he is lucky in more ways than one. As much as I
:19:32. > :19:42.regret it, I am so lucky to be still here. I could have hit
:19:42. > :19:44.
:19:45. > :19:49.another car and killed someone else. I am lucky to be where I am today.
:19:49. > :19:54.Him back in 1870, a Scottish Draper left his home town of Perth and
:19:54. > :19:59.moved south to Birmingham. It was a life-saving -- life-changing
:19:59. > :20:03.decision for the game of football. William McGregor became the founder
:20:03. > :20:07.of the Football League and he has been honoured in a special service.
:20:07. > :20:10.From Accrington Stanley to Wolverhampton Wanderers - they
:20:10. > :20:14.gathered together in Birmingham to celebrate the life of William
:20:14. > :20:19.McGregor, the former chairman of Aston Villa, the Scotsman who
:20:19. > :20:23.founded the English Football League in 1888. And all 12 of those
:20:23. > :20:28.original member clubs were represented today. Aston Villa will
:20:28. > :20:33.never forget him, nor will the Football League. Never forget him.
:20:33. > :20:39.It is a special day. You can see by all of the people who have come,
:20:39. > :20:43.there must be hundreds. By the time the TV cameras captured the FA Cup
:20:43. > :20:48.final in 1923, the Football League was 35 years old and William
:20:48. > :20:52.McGregor's vision had caught the imagination of the nations.
:20:53. > :20:59.Football League is 100 ascends indebted to William McGregor. He
:20:59. > :21:02.was the brains behind it and he set the moral and persuasive framework
:21:02. > :21:07.that attracted a lot of competing clubs to be willing to work
:21:07. > :21:12.together for the common good. the service he was described as the
:21:12. > :21:17.father of all football leagues, a figure of courage and integrity,
:21:17. > :21:23.the driving force behind the first organised sports league in the
:21:23. > :21:27.world. 100 years ago today, he died aged 65 in a Birmingham nursing
:21:27. > :21:32.home. He was buried here alongside his wife in the grounds of St
:21:32. > :21:37.Mary's Church in Handsworth. this continue to be a place where
:21:37. > :21:40.the body of your servant, William McGregor rests in peace. And now
:21:40. > :21:44.thanks to the Aston Villa supporters trust, his headstone has
:21:44. > :21:50.been cleaned up and engraved with a permanent reminder of his unique
:21:50. > :21:55.place in English football. It was in a pretty poor state and now it
:21:55. > :22:00.is a magnificent rest are Reighton -- restoration. Two years ago
:22:00. > :22:05.statue was unveiled of him outside Villa Park, a Pennon reminder of
:22:05. > :22:12.the inspirational Scot who made the English Football League a role
:22:12. > :22:18.model. -- permanent reminder. You don't get as many men as
:22:18. > :22:26.influential as we MacGregor. I wonder what he would have made of
:22:26. > :22:34.it all today? He started it!
:22:34. > :22:38.The director of a new C Shakespeare production has defended his modern
:22:38. > :22:42.twist on the character of Robin Hood. The character stole from the
:22:42. > :22:48.rich and gave to the poor but in this version he keeps it for
:22:48. > :22:52.himself. The Icelandic director said he is inspired by a The
:22:52. > :23:00.Banking crisis and the riots of last summer. There is no women here,
:23:00. > :23:05.send her home. I won't go. Then you will die at my hand, woman or No 4
:23:05. > :23:08.star traditionally he stole from the rich but in a 21st century
:23:08. > :23:15.twist, this Robin Hood is not giving to the poor, he is keeping
:23:15. > :23:19.it. Prepare yourself for a leather- clad outlaw. I am Robin Hood.
:23:19. > :23:23.Icelandic director of the Royal Shakespeare productions says the
:23:23. > :23:28.world banking crisis has influenced this modern approach to a
:23:28. > :23:32.traditional legend. Probably most of us would be the same as Robin
:23:32. > :23:37.Hood. We were probably intend to go into the forest and rob the rich
:23:37. > :23:42.and give to the poor, and there were probably be a moment where we
:23:42. > :23:47.would go "hang on I'll keep the little bit for myself. I will keep
:23:47. > :23:52.the little bit more for myself. I will keep it all for myself".
:23:52. > :23:56.Keeping with the change of scene, it is Marion and not Robin who
:23:56. > :24:01.convinces the outlaw to change his ways, offering another lesson in
:24:01. > :24:09.life to the audience. It is interesting, it is good for little
:24:09. > :24:12.girls as well. The typical fairytale is a guy comes and saves
:24:12. > :24:21.you and rest Yushu. In this, Marion has to sort herself out, and I
:24:21. > :24:27.don't think it is a bad lesson for women to have. It Robin Hood was to
:24:27. > :24:37.symbolise a generation, he is angry and aggressive and annoyed at what
:24:37. > :24:39.
:24:39. > :24:44.has been happening. I think Robin Hood personifies that. Putting to
:24:44. > :24:48.one side the messages about the economy and greed, the Royal
:24:48. > :24:52.Shakespeare Company are hoping the public will be entertained by the
:24:52. > :25:00.traditional tale of Robin Hood and Maid Marian romping through the
:25:00. > :25:08.forest. Sounds a bit risque to me. Was that
:25:08. > :25:11.an early form of Morris dancing? I have no idea. The heart of Robin
:25:11. > :25:15.Hood will be on at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until the 7th
:25:15. > :25:24.January. How is the weather looking in
:25:24. > :25:28.Now the countdown for Christmas is under way, will it be a white one?
:25:28. > :25:32.At this stage it doesn't look like we will get a flake of snow. The
:25:32. > :25:36.temperatures will be rising as we head towards the weekend. The
:25:36. > :25:40.reason being, at the beginning of the week we were swamped by blue
:25:40. > :25:45.colours with cold air. Tomorrow we will be enveloped by this ocean at
:25:45. > :25:49.Yellow feeding off from the south- west. By the weekend it starts to
:25:49. > :25:52.spill south again before those yellow colours returned. I am
:25:52. > :25:57.afraid it does not look like it will be crisp and crunchy on
:25:57. > :26:02.Christmas morning, let alone a flurry of the white stuff. Nowadays
:26:02. > :26:07.it only takes one flake of snow for it to be constituted as a white
:26:07. > :26:11.Christmas as far as the bookies are concerned. The reason for the cold
:26:11. > :26:18.air and the dip in temperatures is because we have this cold front
:26:18. > :26:23.coming through. The further east you go, the higher the temperatures.
:26:23. > :26:28.As far as tonight goes, this is what is heading our way. We have a
:26:28. > :26:31.band of rain moving in which is heavy, but it will be patchy. We
:26:31. > :26:34.have heavier bursts through southern parts and perhaps to the
:26:34. > :26:39.north-east as it starts to clear late in the night. It is looking
:26:39. > :26:44.drier across most parts but tucked in behind his band of rain, milder
:26:44. > :26:49.air. To start with temperatures will be five or six ulcers which is
:26:49. > :26:56.lower than today's values and then begin to rise by dawn tomorrow. --
:26:56. > :27:00.Celsius. It is looking much drier by the afternoon with flickers of
:27:00. > :27:05.brightness. Over all it will be over cast tomorrow with highs of
:27:05. > :27:12.around 13 Celsius in the south. A huge jump and much milder
:27:13. > :27:16.conditions for the time of year. Tomorrow it is much milder as well.
:27:16. > :27:21.Occasional rain on Thursday with rain on Friday as well. But, it is
:27:21. > :27:26.rain on Friday as well. But, it is going to be mild once more.
:27:26. > :27:30.Before we leave, let's take a look at the main headlines: Police could
:27:31. > :27:37.use live fire arms when dealing with riots in the future although
:27:37. > :27:41.only in very limited circumstances. And, caught on camera - two