12/01/2012 Midlands Today

Welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines: Our hearts have been

broken forever. The family of the couple murdered

in their home bake for help in catching the killers. I beg of

you... Catch this person. Who has taken two of my special people away.

Fears for the future of jobs for almost 100 disabled people.

A big rise in petrol theft. Cases are up 50% in the last year. They

don't care. They even look straight into the camera.

And Aston Villa complete the loan signing of Wales favourite Robbie

Good evening. Welcome to Thursday's Midlands Today. Tonight, our hearts

are broken forever. The despairing words of two of the children of a

couple found murdered at their home. Just a day after out -- Avtar and

Carole Kolar were found by their son, a serving police officer, at

two of the children spoke at a press conference this afternoon.

Our lives and our hearts have been broken forever. They were the

sweetest and kindest people. hardest thing anyone can ever do is

tell the children that they are never going to see their

grandparents again. I have a baby, one week old, and I really do not

know where to start. We are all hurting so much inside because they

were so special. Catch this person who has taken two of my special

people away from us. Avtar and Carole Kolar had been married for

40 years. Their friends and neighbours in Handsworth Wood in

Birmingham are finding it almost impossible to comes to terms with

what has happened. There is flash photography in the report.

As the forensic Search widens around the family home, a community

began to mourn. Neighbours were struggling to find the words.

bad. Very bad. There appeared to be more police in Handsworth Wood

today, walking the streets to reassure people that this most

brutal of crimes is almost a rare one -- is a rare one. Avtar and

Carole Kolar have been described as quiet, sweet people. Daljeet Bilkhu

went to score with Carole and has known the family for 40 years.

very good people, both of them. Very soft-hearted. Very friendly

people. It is very sad to see them go. He also lives on Friary Road,

an area he says has seen recent burglaries and thefts of Asian gold.

We have been burgled twice on that road. It was a delight beggary and

luckily no one was at home. West Midlands Police -- it was a

daylight burglary. West Midlands Police are keeping an open mind.

The couple's son Jason is a police officer but the police say they do

not see a link between that and the deaths. It is something we would

consider. No cause of death has been identified yet. Key to the

investigation could be the support of the local, largely Sikh,

community. I would urge anybody who knows anything, any little

information, no matter how small, to come forward. It could be

important in solving this crime. arrests have been made but as the

Kolar family are spread so powerfully of their loss this

afternoon., police say they are following a number of new lines of

inquiry. The sense of grief in this community is seen in these floral

tributes laid throughout the day today, including this bunch of red

roses from the couple's eight grandchildren. The True Brit reads,

grandmother, We Love You To the Moon and back. -- this tribute

reads. For police say postmortem

examinations on Avtar and Carole Kolar will be completed by tomorrow.

Other news. People with learning difficulties fear for their

livelihoods after Birmingham City Council announced a review of the

factory they work in. Around 90 people work for Shelforce, a

council owned door and window manufacturer in Erdington. The city

council says it does not envisage compulsory redundancies but the

factory might not be able to carry on running as it has been. A public

meeting is being held tonight at the Jaguar Sports and Social Club

nearby. Our reporter is there. Workers and families must be very

worried. They are deeply concerned. There

has been a cloud of uncertainty hanging over Shelforce for 18

months now. Just behind me, through those double doors, is around 70 or

80 people, mainly Shelforce workers, and I watched them sit stony-faced

as they were told by Unison that there is a distinct possibility

that they could be significant redundancies. You have to remember,

if they lose their jobs at Shelforce, because of their

learning difficult -- disabilities, they could never get a job again.

Amongst the family's here tonight, Shashank Khanduri's family. He is

30 and has watched -- worked for Shelforce for eight ears. His

mother told me this afternoon that the slowdown in work at the factory

has caused him anxiety. When he is sitting, he will worry. You do not

have to worry, everybody is in the same boat. That sort of thing he

does not understand, and he worries. I can see panic building up on him.

Birmingham City Council tell me that Shelforce has been running at

a loss for several years now and it has been having to subsidise the

business. One possibility, it says, is that it may amalgamated into

another part of the council, or perhaps go into partnership with an

outside firm, what it calls an organisation close to us, in its

statement. With me now is the Labour MP for Erdington, Jack

Dromey. Fighting talk from you this evening. What realistically can be

done? The Birmingham City Council should be ashamed. For 27 years

Shelforce has been a lifeline for the most for Cannes in Birmingham.

The men and women in there, for them work is at the centre of their

lives. -- the most vulnerable in Birmingham. The council has been

running down Shelforce. We need to build up that fine facility and

that means spending some of the hundreds of millions of pounds that

Birmingham spends on capital works on the windows, the doors that have

made by Shelforce. If Labour were in power, you had unprecedented

cuts to make. Something has to go, doesn't it? The unkindest cut of

all is to close or run down a facility employee in the most

vulnerable in our community. They are not responsible for the budget

crisis hitting Britain. It is bankers that are responsible. Why

should the disabled pay the price? It looks like these proposals will

go before the next full council meeting, on February 7th. They are

ending here tonight with a very clear message from the workers and

families. If there is bad news to come, they want to know sooner

rather than later. We will keep you up-to-date.

There has been a significant rise in fuel thefts across the West

Midlands, mostly involving drivers filling up at petrol stations and

driving off without paying. The crime is known as building. In a

new twist, they often switched numberplates to avoid

identification. -- the crime is known as bilking. Last year there

was a 50% rise on the crime compared to the year before.

These women are about to commit a crime. They fill their BMW with

fuel, belt up and drive off. It is known as bilking and it is on the

rise. They do not care. They even look straight into the camera.

number of recorded bilkings across the West Midlands has risen from

3,600 offences to more than 5,000. Police say it is linked to rising

fuel prices. Seven years ago, petrol pump prices across the UK

averaged 87p per litre. Today it is one pan 32. Rising fuel prices make

web more tempting and thieves more sophisticated. This is how it works.

They changed number place so when they are caught on CCTV they cannot

be identified, and many are getting away Scot free. This centre in

Wolverhampton has come up with a solution, tamper-proof screws.

have been offering members of the public a free fitting service so

that our security screws on those numberplates prevent them from

being stolen. Back in Wolverhampton, this garage owner says it is too

little, too late. Last year he lost �6,000 to fuel theft. It is not

something I can claim from an insurance policy. Neither am I able

to claim the due to from the Government, so I have to bear it.

This morning, police released this CCTV image. This man drove off

without paying for �45 worth of This is the car registration.

Anyone with information should contact police.

An inquest has been told that take a retired schoolteacher from

Worcestershire was killed by being a Chris Tapp in the net. 77 you

will Betty Yates -- 77-year-old Betty Yates was found last week at

her home in Bewdley. I know I was recovered at the scene.

The Transport Secretary has dismissed suggestions that high-

speed trains will be exclusively for business customers. Justine

Greening was answering questions in the Commons following her decision

to approve a high-speed rail network between London and

Birmingham. A political editor has been taking it all in Forest. What

exactly have they had to say about these fares on H S two? Philip

Hammond, the former health secretary, got himself into bother

when he suggested that rail services were increasingly likely

to be seen as a rich man's toy. A Birmingham MP invited his successor

as Transport Secretary to distance herself from any suggestion that

High Speed Two would become the exclusive preserve of wealthy

businessmen and women. Can the Secretary of State reject the

previous Secretary's comments that high-speed rail would only be

affordable for business customers? The business case works on an

assumption of standard rail fares, as we have on the current network.

I am absolutely clear in my mind that the way to make high-speed

rail successful is to have as many people use it as possible. We have

been hearing High Speed Two will provide an important to Birmingham

Airport. What we have to remember here is that High Speed Two is also

an integral part of the Government's strategy for UK

aviation. They see it as a way of replacing a lot of the domestic air

services that so many people up and down Britain used to connect into

international routes. So the Transport Secretary was challenged

over the fact that the high-speed link to Heathrow airport will not

be completed until 2030s. second phase will seek a route to

Heathrow. It is wise to point out that the first phase was the

Birmingham Airport also connected - - effectively connected as well.

There are many criticisms of High Speed Two. One of the biggest is

that it will not do much for the wider West Midlands as a Birmingham.

Did anybody raise that? Yes, the Labour MP for Dudley North asked if

she would consider modifying further the route so that it could

actually serve the Black Country. No, she said, flatly. Her decision

on the Reid announced on Tuesday was final but she did say that

places like the Black Country and other areas would benefit because

congestion on existing railway lines would be eased.

Still ahead tonight, a Premier League makeover for Molineux. We

speak to the chairman about his vision for Wolves.

And it has been so mild wizardly, you could be forgiven for thinking

it was spring, but winter bites We will talk about grit and the

grit set off I'll vote could save councils millions of Pounds because

it is aware of recycling. It will prevent more than 30,000 tonnes of

waste going to landfill sites every year.

Burnt wood near Lichfield, one of the areas where sweeping the roads

is no longer just about keeping the neighbour had tidy. It is about

saving money and the environment. 2000 tonnes of this road debris is

sent to landfill every year. If you consider the Midlands, that is an

awful lot of waste that could be recycled. Now the region has the

technology to make it happen. A process that described by its

operators as a giant washing machine has been built at the site

near Wolverhampton. It has cost three-quarters of a million pounds

and is able to separate different components of the waste. It comes

in on a daily basis, fed into the plant and from that we will be able

to derive aggregate score. It is the first time that road sweeping

recycling has been done on such a grand scale. Seven councils in the

West Midlands have teamed up to send their waste here for recycling.

It works out far cheaper than burying it as landfill taxes are

rising steeply. If we can make maximum use of that material, we

will save money to pay years. Four Warwickshire a loner we are looking

at recycling some �10,000 and that is about �800,000. It is estimated

�10 million in total will be saved over seven years, proving the old

adage that where there is a market, there is brass.

That is really good news. It has been another of bad wigs for the

high street with more stores going into administration but when an

independent bookstore announced it was to close after 23 years,

residents decided to do something. They formed a co-operative and are

about to open a bookshop of their own.

The hills and Edward Elgar - just two of the reasons tourists come to

visit Malvern and it is that at the trade that has helped many of the

shops survive during the economic downturn. Not all are so lucky.

This bookstore has had to call it a day after 23 years. Disheartened by

the news, book loving friends decided to start their own shop.

And formed a co-operative. We have all got very varied backgrounds, a

huge range of expertise and interest and we can bring all that

into the one bookshop. Not one of the seven members of the co-

operative has any retail experience, but they already have the premises

and work on their new shop is under way. It is a lot of hard work to be

done and decisions to be made, but we have very different skills to

bring to it and a lot of knowledge. We will all work together and it

will be a success. Malvern has more independently owned shops than most

towns and many like this one are doing well. Open six years ago,

they have had their best Christmas trading figures ever. So can the

co-operative be successful? The man behind the shop believes they have

a chance. The large retailers cannot offer at that level of

service the independent retailers can. If they get that right, they

can do quite well. The bookshop will include a cafe and whole

community events did boost income. Be a co-operative, the financial

risk is spread and all of those involved are being realistic about

the future. We are conscious of the risk but we think it can work. We

will never make a lot of money, but we think we can have an exciting

project that will benefit the town centre. If everything goes to plan,

they hope to open the doors in March.

We can call that the Big Society. Sports time. Robbie Keane can -- 11

years after he almost signed for them, he became an Aston Villa

player today for two months. The record goalscorer has agreed and

loan spell from LA Galaxy and could make his debut against Everton on

Saturday. A warning, this report does contain flash photography.

Robbie Keane posing with an Aston Villa shirt. Many of us expected to

see this in the summer of 1999. But the Villa would not meet the asking

price and he has travelled the world playing football since. Only

now will he put on a Villa kit. will try my best to put on a big

impact and help the team push for what up the table. With my past

experience and knowledge, I can pass it on to younger players.

wonder kid joined Coventry instead all those is ago to become the most

expensive teenager in the Premier League. He scored twice in his

debut for the Sky Blues and has been prolific ever since from Milan

to London and California. Robbie Keane has made a habit of scoring

against Villa, now the fans want to know can he do it for them?

scored over 50 goals for Ireland, he is a very good player. I think

the gold will go flying. He is a top player and proven that over the

years. I look forward to playing with all of them. His arrival

caught the imagination of the media and if he finds the golden touch

again on the pitch, everyone will be happy.

Is Robbie Keane the answer for Villa? Called BBC WM football

phone-in at 7pm. The Wolves chairman Steve Morgan says the team

must do better but he says he will not succumb to the hire and fire

culture with managers. He admits it has been hard redeveloping Molineux

alongside developing his team but he is determined the new ground

will be hosting Premier League football next season. Welcome to

the future. This is how Wolves new �16 million stand well that from

the inside. This impressive computer-generated video was

launched today by the club chairman Steve Morgan. The show's fans the

news facilities. There will be a bar, pub and restaurant and with

building work on course it will be ready for next season. There is no

doubt this news-stand is impressive but some fans feel it is costing

them on the pitch and ultimately the price to pay could be

relegation. It is a juggling act and it is not easy, but it is one

we have to live with. The board is determined to take this club into

the 21st century to offer the facilities it should have a go with

that. That balancing act sea walls one. Out of the Premier League

relegation zone. But Morgan is standing by manager Mick McCarthy

and money is available in the January transfer window. It has

been disappointing. We expected to be better off than we carry our and

we have to do better in the second half. This isn't a hire and fire

club, it is not the way I won any of my businesses. But we do say

what we have to say behind closed doors. One the new will look

It is good to hear a German fronting up. All that has happened

at Birmingham City, we had never heard anything from the board, it

is a shame because they do not talk to us. But it is nice to hear that

from Steve Morgan. Before you go, tell us about

Coventry City. Striker Lukas Jutkewicz is on the

way to Middlesbrough for �1.5 million. Nikola Zigic scored two

goals for Birmingham City last night beating Ipswich 2-1, but he

Scientists, inventor, artist, Leonardo da Vinci's dinners

resonates through history. An exhibition of his work in London

has been a sell-out and there is expected to be a similar buzz when

it comes to Birmingham. It is the first time any of his work has been

shown in the city. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

is the first venue for a national tour of 10 drawings by Leonardo da

Vinci to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee. It is expected to

attract huge attention. It is the first time we have had works by

Leonardo in Birmingham, so it will create a lot of interest. We think

probably 25,000 potentially, maybe more. The drawings are from the

World Collection at Windsor Castle and the senior curator says it is

amazing to imagine the master holding them 500 years ago.

drawings illustrate all aspects of Leonardo's activity. He was a

painter, sculptor, architect, scientist. I have tried to select

in these drawings examples of every aspect of that. A major exhibition

of Leonardo's work has attracted crowds to the National Gallery in

London with tickets selling out. This display in Birmingham is

smaller and more intimate and free. Visitors will be able to get up

close to some of the work of this world famous artist, architect,

engineer and scientist, engaging at first hand with perhaps one of the

greatest minds of all time. For the last 15 years of his life, Leonardo

regarded himself as a scientist incorporating research in art. This

is how Leonardo looked with a reputation for arrogance. But one

drawing thought to be one of his last is a self portrait of how he

felt as he aged. Kind of grotesque but also a rather pathetic. It is a

study of decay and Leonardo was conscious of his own body failing.

It captures something of Leonardo's sense of imminent death. All the

finishing touches are being made ready for when the doors open to

the public for three months. It will be busy. He was pretty

amazing. That exhibition of those drawings opens at Birmingham Museum

and Art Gallery tomorrow and it is free. Now take a look at the

free. Now take a look at the weather.

For a few days we had experienced way above average temperatures but

because of that the drop will appear more drastic as things

appear more colder. It applies during the days and nights.

Temperatures starting to dip to below average. The reason for that,

we saw a cold front coming through today. Because this high-pressure

positions itself over us, the winds will be lighter, perfect conditions

for frost and fog. All of those elements tonight. Skies clearing

right across the board and temperatures dipping down to minus

one Celsius in raw parts. A frost developing across most parts and

also some fog developing mostly in the south-west of the region. That

could linger because of the light winds tomorrow and if it does so,

temperatures will struggle to lift. Generally a nice day with a lot of

sunshine and it will be dry. It is the temperatures that are the main

concern. Temperatures of six Celsius. Tomorrow night will be

even colder. Skies clearing once again and light winds and

temperatures dropping down to minus one Celsius. For the weekend, at we

pave the way for much colder conditions. Highs of only four

Celsius. But it is looking sunny at least. Thank you.

least. Thank you. Just one main had line tonight: our