:00:04. > :00:13.Good evening and welcome to Tuesday's Midlands Today from the
:00:13. > :00:18.BBC. Signs of recovery as a multi- million-pound plan his announced
:00:18. > :00:28.for Staffordshire. With the right quality brights there is a real
:00:28. > :00:31.
:00:32. > :00:36.opportunity. Jail for a con man. said, what sort of blind to you
:00:36. > :00:42.want? He hadn't even told the court. -- porch.
:00:42. > :00:45.Syrian exile's here wait anxiously for news of friends and family.
:00:45. > :00:55.And primary school parents, furious as they had teacher takes a week
:00:55. > :01:00.
:01:00. > :01:01.off in term time for a holiday. -- Good evening. Tonight: a group of
:01:01. > :01:05.investors from Staffordshire announce multi-million pound plans
:01:05. > :01:10.for a factory which would see a revival of truck building in the
:01:10. > :01:13.Midlands. They've embarked upon a partnership with a firm owned by
:01:13. > :01:16.the powerful Indian manufacturers the Hinduja Group. It's envisaged
:01:16. > :01:20.trucks will be built at a new factory in Longton in Stoke on
:01:20. > :01:23.Trent, potentially creating hundreds of jobs. There are over
:01:23. > :01:26.90,000 people employed at vehicle manufacturers and within the supply
:01:26. > :01:31.chain in the West Midlands The industry accounts for 5% of the
:01:31. > :01:37.regions jobs. And it's estimated that 40% of all foreign direct
:01:37. > :01:43.investment is in the automotive sector. Our Staffordshire reporter
:01:43. > :01:50.Liz Copper has this exclusive report.
:01:50. > :01:54.This is the first long dinner truck. It is a market -- market makers
:01:54. > :01:58.hope will be recognised worldwide. It is being built in Prague in the
:01:58. > :02:02.Czech Republic but will be sought - - sold by a consortium of
:02:02. > :02:05.businessmen from Staffordshire. British manufacturing is not dead.
:02:05. > :02:11.We are making more vehicles are in the UK than we have done for many
:02:11. > :02:16.years, and this is part of the revival to stop so there is hope.
:02:16. > :02:24.The long contract has been developed in construction with
:02:24. > :02:27.Leyland apart of the Indian owned Hinduja. They are teaming up with
:02:27. > :02:32.British entrepreneurs and designers. The name Lord Pym was selected to
:02:32. > :02:38.reflect not just the origins of its investors, but also to appeal
:02:38. > :02:43.specifically to the UK market. found that the brand recognition
:02:43. > :02:48.for long pin in the UK had a British connotation to it. And in
:02:48. > :02:54.general, a believe that the Stoke- on-Trent has an long history of
:02:54. > :02:59.engineering pedigree in the UK. Prague is a city renowned for its
:02:59. > :03:03.cultural and historic importance. It also has a rich manufacturing
:03:03. > :03:07.and industrial heritage. It will be the manufacturing centre for this
:03:07. > :03:10.new venture for the next months. Initially all the tracks would be
:03:10. > :03:17.made in the Czech Republic, but there are well advanced plans for a
:03:17. > :03:21.new factory in Stoke-on-Trent. So although Prague will continue to be
:03:21. > :03:26.the production centre initially, eventually, it is hoped long can it
:03:26. > :03:30.will be the location for a new UK factory. This is a town that has
:03:30. > :03:34.seen the demise of some traditional industries and has a higher than I
:03:34. > :03:39.care -- average unemployment rate. Already they have a sales and
:03:39. > :03:44.distribution base, they are now looking for a site for an assembly
:03:44. > :03:49.plant. It is our ambition to start assembly as soon as we can make it
:03:49. > :03:54.viable in the UK, and to take on apprentices and use the skills
:03:54. > :03:58.there and have them passed on. There is a danger some of the
:03:58. > :04:02.skills might die out. Those long term ambitions could be supported
:04:02. > :04:06.by the most recent sales figures for trucks. Industry insiders say
:04:06. > :04:11.the market is growing. Entering any new market is to challenge but
:04:11. > :04:14.there are great opportunities. It is a recovering market. I think
:04:14. > :04:20.with the right investment and quality product so there is a real
:04:20. > :04:25.opportunity here. As it emerges into the market it faces
:04:25. > :04:28.competition from well established truck makers. But it is hoped this
:04:28. > :04:33.newcomer will herald more success for the Midlands automotive
:04:33. > :04:36.industry. Let's talk now to Jane Gratton,
:04:36. > :04:44.from North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce - this sounds very good
:04:44. > :04:47.news, potentially hundreds of jobs? Yes, this is really good news the
:04:47. > :04:52.North Staffordshire and Stoke-on- Trent. It has the potential to
:04:52. > :04:56.bring a couple of hundred much needed jobs, new skills, taking on
:04:56. > :04:59.apprentices, and wealth creation in this area. For me, it is it a
:05:00. > :05:05.really good sign of increasing confident in North Staffordshire as
:05:05. > :05:10.a centre for manufacturing. What difference to think this could make
:05:10. > :05:16.to the area? I think it will help to boost an already thriving
:05:16. > :05:21.manufacturing centre. -- sector. We had already announced a �32 million
:05:21. > :05:26.of investment in manufacturing plants from local companies, and
:05:26. > :05:31.the businesses I'm talking to around and about the area are
:05:31. > :05:34.saying that they have increasing confident now to bring forward the
:05:34. > :05:40.investment plans they may have postponed during the recession. We
:05:40. > :05:46.are seen a run -- rebalancing of the economy towards making things
:05:46. > :05:50.again, and this is a positive sign. He does sound encouraging. What
:05:51. > :05:56.more can you do as a chamber to try and get businesses to relocate to
:05:56. > :06:02.Stoke and North Staffordshire? put together with our partners some
:06:02. > :06:07.measures. We call it our red carpet treatment. But also, with
:06:07. > :06:13.universities, we have a very strong support package to look at research
:06:13. > :06:17.and development, innovation, design, production and exporting. There
:06:17. > :06:22.really is a strong support network, including a thriving manufacturing
:06:22. > :06:26.group, where businesses are helping each other to be successful at
:06:26. > :06:29.manufacturing. Thank you. And on Midlands Today tomorrow, we'll have
:06:29. > :06:32.a special report on an important landmark for Solihull based Land
:06:32. > :06:40.Rover. Still to come this evening: Getting
:06:40. > :06:43.empty houses back on the property ladder, but will it work?
:06:43. > :06:49.I am alive at Port Vale with the latest on their financial problems
:06:49. > :06:52.as they battle to stay out of administration. He tricked elderly
:06:52. > :06:55.people out of thousands of pounds for building work which was never
:06:55. > :06:57.completed or even started. Tonight, rogue builder Antony Mander is
:06:57. > :07:00.starting a prison sentence after pleading guilty to obtaining money
:07:00. > :07:02.by deception. Mander conned 17 elderly residents
:07:02. > :07:06.in Staffordshire out of more than �100,000, convincing them that
:07:06. > :07:16.building work needed to be carried out on their homes and getting the
:07:16. > :07:19.
:07:19. > :07:22.money upfront. Ben Godfrey reports. Hiding his shame, this is 15-year-
:07:22. > :07:28.old builder Antony Mander, described in court as a Perpetual
:07:28. > :07:33.conman. -- 15-year-old. He spent three years conning pensioners
:07:33. > :07:38.living alone. Sid Bloor's aunt is in her eighties. She paid Mander
:07:38. > :07:42.for a new porch. As her husband had just died - he promised to complete
:07:42. > :07:50.it by the time she returned from the funeral. He didn't bother. He
:07:50. > :07:54.tricked her out of around �25,000. She hardly goes out now because of
:07:54. > :08:01.parasite like him. He had �1,000 per been in the loft, don't know
:08:01. > :08:04.what he did, but he didn't do anything. He would chances like,
:08:04. > :08:08.touting for even the smallest bit of business. He would always ask
:08:08. > :08:13.for cash up front, and then come back asking for more expensive work
:08:13. > :08:16.to be taken on. The problem is that we didn't return to do the job.
:08:16. > :08:22.Such was his desperation, he then drove some of his victims to a
:08:22. > :08:26.cashpoint. Today, he was sentenced to three years and nine months
:08:26. > :08:31.after admitting 29 counts of fraud. He's a repeat offender, with
:08:31. > :08:35.previous convictions for deception. He has convictions dating back to
:08:36. > :08:42.the 1980s. The law doesn't give us the power to ban people from
:08:42. > :08:44.trading. If somebody continues to a friend, then we investigate the new
:08:45. > :08:51.allegations. Trading Standards officials believe Mander tricked
:08:52. > :08:57.his victims out of more than �100,000. Absolutely despicable. He
:08:57. > :09:00.ripped me off for five grand. He is supposed to have done a garage
:09:00. > :09:04.conversion than he did half the work, even sent me an invoice the
:09:04. > :09:07.�6,000. Mander told his victims he was a straight and honest builder.
:09:07. > :09:14.They left court in the knowledge that he's gambled their savings
:09:14. > :09:16.away on betting websites. The mental health support given to
:09:16. > :09:20.an "exceptional" student found hanged from a tree was "woeful", a
:09:20. > :09:23.coroner said today. Melissa Martin Hughes, who was 18, was found
:09:23. > :09:28.hanged by a passer-by next to a children's playground in a park in
:09:28. > :09:31.Cheltenham. The death of Melissa, who was
:09:31. > :09:34.predicted to get top grades in her A-level exams, was described by her
:09:34. > :09:40.family as a "tragedy" which will "not easily fade". Andrew Plant
:09:40. > :09:49.reports. Melissa Martin-Hughes was found
:09:49. > :09:52.hanged in a park in Cheltenham in 2010. Added inquest into her death,
:09:52. > :09:57.her parents said they had made it repeated requests to get
:09:57. > :10:03.professional help for their teenage daughter. But her case simply
:10:03. > :10:10.slipped through the system. She was a complex, beautiful daughter who
:10:10. > :10:14.brought great joy to us all, and we miss her complex -- constantly.
:10:14. > :10:24.would like to say that it goes without saying we feel let down by
:10:24. > :10:29.
:10:29. > :10:32.the system. Melissa had made a cry for help in August 2009. It was
:10:32. > :10:35.then that she was seen by a crisis team - run by the 2gether NHS
:10:35. > :10:37.Foundation Trust in Gloucestershire - there to help with suicidal
:10:37. > :10:40.feelings. But because of an administrative error, Melissa was
:10:40. > :10:43.never seen by professionals again. By the time Melissa died, she had
:10:43. > :10:47.had no contact with a mental health services are more than seven months,
:10:47. > :10:51.and during that time had become more and more withdrawn. It was,
:10:51. > :10:55.said the coroner, in retrospect, an opportunity to help her that was
:10:55. > :10:59.missed. She did not receive a package of care and support that
:10:59. > :11:03.was intended, and didn't have the opportunity to engage with our
:11:03. > :11:07.service. Following her death, we undertook a full investigation and
:11:07. > :11:10.identified a number of shortcomings in the service were provided to her.
:11:10. > :11:14.Melissa had recently passed her exams with the highest possible
:11:14. > :11:17.grades, and secured a place at a top university to study chemistry.
:11:18. > :11:26.Her headmaster said she was a brilliant and exceptional people
:11:26. > :11:29.who would never be forgotten. -- people.
:11:29. > :11:33.Police in Coventry have sealed off an area of woodland after human
:11:33. > :11:36.remains were found there. A member of the public made the discovery at
:11:36. > :11:38.Wainbody Wood on Sunday. Forensic experts are now examining the
:11:38. > :11:41.remains while officers carry out further searches of the surrounding
:11:41. > :11:44.area. Three teenagers have been charged
:11:44. > :11:47.with arson following a fire at a school in Sutton Coldfield.
:11:47. > :11:51.Firefighters were called to the blaze at John Willmott school late
:11:51. > :11:54.on Sunday night. Police have now charged a 19 year-old woman, a 14
:11:54. > :12:01.year-old boy and a 14 year-old girl with arson, criminal damage, and
:12:01. > :12:03.burglary. As our television screens are
:12:03. > :12:07.dominated daily by scenes of appalling violence in Syria, it's
:12:07. > :12:10.particularly distressing for Syrian exiles living here in the Midlands.
:12:10. > :12:13.They're desperately trying to get word of their friends and relatives
:12:13. > :12:23.and spread the news of just how serious things have become in their
:12:23. > :12:27.
:12:27. > :12:30.Four thousand miles from home, Abdul Omar sits down to watch the
:12:30. > :12:34.battle for Syria. There are times he and his extended family in
:12:34. > :12:41.Wolverhampton want to despair, but how would that help. They have been
:12:41. > :12:45.times when I have sat outside the embassy and screamed my head off.
:12:45. > :12:49.But unfortunately, you come back to the real world, thinking, that does
:12:49. > :12:59.not really help. Abdul works with opposition groups - this morning a
:12:59. > :13:03.colleague in Homs is telling him about violence overnight. I would
:13:03. > :13:11.not call it decent size, but you realise it is not the time to mourn
:13:11. > :13:13.any more. The morning you do on your own time. The United Nations
:13:13. > :13:16.has called for an immediate ceasefire but there's no sign of
:13:16. > :13:23.President Bashar al-Assad's regime relenting.. Nadia was raised in
:13:23. > :13:28.Stafford but she's half Syrian and lived in Damascus for two years.
:13:28. > :13:33.have seen videos of people I have known who have been murdered, and
:13:33. > :13:37.places that have been destroyed. It is unimaginable. You cannot escape
:13:37. > :13:41.it. In Coventry, another exile's made it his job to gather reports
:13:41. > :13:44.of killings and shellings and pass them to the media. But there's a
:13:44. > :13:54.price to pay - his elderly mother disagrees with what he's doing, and
:13:54. > :14:01.
:14:01. > :14:10.no longer speaks to him. Even my brother here is scared to
:14:10. > :14:12.come in my house. In Syria, no one talks with me now. Next month marks
:14:12. > :14:22.the anniversary of a conflict seemingly far from over, and the
:14:22. > :14:25.
:14:25. > :14:28.pain's felt far and wide. Primary school parents are angry their
:14:28. > :14:31.headteacher's been allowed to take a holiday during term time, when
:14:31. > :14:34.they aren't allowed to do the same. Parents have been told they could
:14:34. > :14:38.be fined �100 if they take their children out of school without
:14:38. > :14:41.permission from the head. Cath Mackie reports. It was a normal
:14:41. > :14:44.school day at Woodlands primary school in Telford. But among the
:14:44. > :14:50.children and members of staff, there was a notable absence. The
:14:50. > :14:53.headteacher - who's gone on holiday. Angry parents told us that John
:14:53. > :14:58.Demmerling has taken his children with him - something the school
:14:58. > :15:04.refused to confirm. He is the role model for the school. He is the
:15:04. > :15:10.bond supposed to be put in the and scented to the children. We are not
:15:10. > :15:17.allowed to. We found it rather shocking can quite disturbing.
:15:17. > :15:20.he has been working solidly, then why not? The school moved to this
:15:20. > :15:24.new site in January. It was agreed that staff who worked extra days
:15:24. > :15:29.could take time off in lieu - as to pay them the extra would have been
:15:29. > :15:36.too costly. In the run-up to the move, he worked the entire week
:15:36. > :15:46.before Christmas to ensure the new school should open as planned. He
:15:46. > :15:48.also worked through February half- term week to... This revelation has
:15:49. > :15:51.coincided with reports that the Education Secretary Michael Gove is
:15:52. > :15:54.planning to clamp down on parents taking their children out of school
:15:54. > :15:57.in term time. The Department of Education is refusing to comment.
:15:57. > :16:00.The policy here is to allow parents term time holidays only in
:16:00. > :16:02.exceptional circumstances or they could face a fine of 100 pounds.
:16:02. > :16:08.The Governors say Mr Demmerling's case is exceptional. The
:16:08. > :16:11.headteacher himself was unavailable for comment. Thanks for joining us
:16:11. > :16:15.this Tuesday evening - still to come: Agony for Darren Bent, as
:16:15. > :16:18.he's out for the rest of the season. But will he miss Euro 2012 too? And
:16:18. > :16:22.a reversal of fortune this week with Scotland the warmest place in
:16:22. > :16:32.the country at 16 Celsius. But we can hardly complain with highs of
:16:32. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:39.13 today. Is March going to be any better? Find out later. New figures
:16:39. > :16:42.show that thousands of people are still on the waiting list for
:16:42. > :16:45.houses and, with building work at an all time low, things aren't
:16:45. > :16:48.getting any better. Now one council is planning to tackle the problem
:16:48. > :16:52.by selling off empty houses at auction if they've been vacant for
:16:52. > :16:55.more than six months, with debts to the authority of more than three
:16:55. > :17:00.hundred pounds. Joanne Writtle reports. Boarded up homes scar
:17:00. > :17:05.streets like these in Tunstall in Stoke on Trent. Now the city
:17:05. > :17:08.council plans to get tough. If a property's been empty for more than
:17:08. > :17:15.six months, and more than �300 is owed - in council tax or other
:17:15. > :17:21.debts, the city council could exercise powers to sell it. We want
:17:21. > :17:27.to bring peace homes back into use, not only to improve the look of
:17:27. > :17:32.this city, but also to make sure that people who have not got
:17:32. > :17:35.adequate properties and places to live, a family home, could use
:17:35. > :17:41.these As we spoke to the councillor near empty houses in Fenton, a
:17:41. > :17:48.landlord with several occupied properties gave his view. A I think
:17:48. > :17:53.a better idea would be to give council to give money to the
:17:54. > :18:03.private landlords and tell us to give a help with that. If they put
:18:04. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:09.in a percentage, we will put in a percentage. There are 5,000 empty
:18:09. > :18:14.properties in Stoke-on-Trent. Even though there are 19,000 council
:18:14. > :18:17.homes, 3,000 families on the waiting-list. The homes would be
:18:17. > :18:20.sold at auction, with a planned caveat to the buyer that the
:18:20. > :18:24.property needs to be occupied within 12 months. Those living near
:18:24. > :18:29.empty homes said they were keen to see things sorted out. Just get
:18:29. > :18:33.them all done up and sorted out so people can live in them. A lot of
:18:33. > :18:38.people are out in the street because of the environment around
:18:38. > :18:40.this street. Boarding -- boarded-up houses. The government's announced
:18:40. > :18:43.a cash injection to to help neighbourhoods suffering the blight
:18:43. > :18:47.of empty homes: Councillors will discuss the plans later this week.
:18:47. > :18:53.If approved the authority hopes to bring 200 homes a year back into
:18:53. > :18:55.use. Twice he's been left out of the World Cup finals by England.
:18:55. > :18:58.Now, Darren Bent is facing a heartbreaking hat-trick of missing
:18:58. > :19:01.his third major tournament. Tonight, Alex McLeish said if Bent needs an
:19:01. > :19:04.operation on his ankle, he'll definitely be ruled out of the
:19:04. > :19:11.European Championships in June. But the Villa boss believes he's a
:19:11. > :19:16.young man, who's still got a big career ahead of him. Darren Bent
:19:16. > :19:19.signed off 2011 on a high note away to Chelsea. But if the champagne
:19:19. > :19:29.corks were popping on New Year's Eve... The New Year itself has
:19:29. > :19:29.
:19:29. > :19:32.suddenly turned sour for the �24 million striker. Ten minutes from
:19:32. > :19:36.time in Saturday's game at Wigan, Bent collapsed in agony. It looked
:19:36. > :19:39.serious, and so it proved. For Aston Villa, who need his goals to
:19:39. > :19:42.survive in the Premier League, and for England, who head off to the
:19:42. > :19:47.European Championships in June. these three with the injury to
:19:47. > :19:51.Darren, we hope that that will cover itself before the summer.
:19:51. > :19:54.Last night, on Twitter, Bent said "I'm gutted to be out for so long
:19:54. > :19:57.at such a crucial part of the season, hopefully my recovery will
:19:57. > :20:02.be as quick as possible." But how quick will that be? Jim Walker
:20:02. > :20:10.knows a ruptured ankle ligament when he sees one. And luckily
:20:10. > :20:13.mine's not one of them. The former Villa physio says Bent must have
:20:13. > :20:23.suffered a grade 3 injury... And he'll have to there's no way that
:20:23. > :20:27.Bent will be rushing back. It's a far bigger blow for Aston Villa
:20:27. > :20:30.then it is buying them? Yes. If everything goes well, and if he
:20:30. > :20:34.gets himself fit in the for five weeks before the European
:20:34. > :20:39.Championships, the fact they he has not played a lot of football might
:20:39. > :20:44.work in his favour. I would not rule out the European Cham budget,
:20:44. > :20:47.but being a Villa fan, that is more important that it is right for
:20:48. > :20:51.Villa! This season, Darren Bent has scored 10 goals for Villa and one
:20:51. > :21:01.goal for England. His long term absence is a real body blow for
:21:01. > :21:04.
:21:04. > :21:09.both club and country. Also some bad news for the club in general?
:21:09. > :21:14.The accounts for the Cup had just been announced. Aston Villa made a
:21:14. > :21:22.loss of almost �54 million during the previous 12 months. That is a
:21:22. > :21:26.huge figure. That involves charges of �12 million for changing the
:21:26. > :21:36.football management personnel, in other words, settlements for Martin
:21:36. > :21:44.O'Neill and John what he didn't -- Gerard Houllier a. Presumably Randi
:21:44. > :21:49.learn their carries on bankrolling They invested another �25 billion
:21:49. > :21:56.for the club. There was record levels of income, of much the view
:21:56. > :22:06.million pounds. -- �92 million. It was one of the turbulent times in
:22:06. > :22:07.
:22:07. > :22:09.Port Vale's financial problems have claimed another victim with former
:22:09. > :22:12.chairman Peter Miller resigning as a director as the club struggles
:22:12. > :22:15.with mounting debts. Tonight they take on Crewe, and their fans will
:22:15. > :22:18.be hoping the problems off the pitch won't affect the team. Our
:22:18. > :22:25.sports reporter Dan Pallett's there this evening, so what's the mood of
:22:25. > :22:29.fans tonight? Considering it should be one of the biggest games of the
:22:29. > :22:33.season, it is pretty sombre. Both teams on the edge of the League Two
:22:33. > :22:38.play-offs, but the thing that is dominating the pre-match talk is
:22:38. > :22:43.the financial situation of the club. We wanted to speak to the club, is
:22:43. > :22:48.that they turned it down, and we are out here because they turn down
:22:48. > :22:54.a request from us to film in there. They speak to the supporters' club.
:22:54. > :23:00.What sort of problems are the club in? It is as bad as it could get.
:23:00. > :23:07.Ports -- Port Vale supporters have been disenfranchised. The club is
:23:07. > :23:16.on the brink of extinction. It owes money to HM Marsay, the city
:23:16. > :23:22.council, Ferris companies, and player's wages. -- H M R C. It
:23:22. > :23:29.could be worse than that. The club has been badly managed, and there
:23:29. > :23:33.are people that fear for the future of the club. As a lifelong fan, how
:23:33. > :23:38.does -- how much does it mean? hurts a lot, and I can only
:23:38. > :23:44.reiterate that it is total mismanagement by the board. It has
:23:44. > :23:48.lasted frog -- we have asked for months and months to help them, but
:23:48. > :23:53.they won't talk to us, and we could -- this could be one of our last
:23:53. > :23:58.games. This has been going on for 18 months? 18 months. We tried were
:23:58. > :24:04.with the board, and in December, they closed shop on us. They would
:24:04. > :24:09.not let us use the facilities to have a supporters' meetings. The
:24:09. > :24:12.membership of the supporters' club has shot up, and we are depressed
:24:12. > :24:18.every time they have become to the game. We think you could be the
:24:18. > :24:22.last time every time. Hopefully the team will cheer the fans up, but it
:24:22. > :24:27.seems that administration beckons. That would mean a 10 point
:24:27. > :24:37.deduction. Any hope of promotion this season would be gone. That
:24:37. > :24:40.
:24:40. > :24:43.And you can follow Port Vale's match on BBC Radio Stoke tonight,
:24:43. > :24:45.who'll also have regular updates on Burton's match at Swindon. And BBC
:24:45. > :24:50.Hereford and Worcester will have full commentary on Hereford's match
:24:50. > :24:53.at Gillingham. A seven year old boy's been dubbed a "Mini-Messi"
:24:53. > :24:56.after his performance scoring goals in his local football league. Aiden
:24:56. > :24:59.Smith from Castle Vale in Birmingham has scored 46 goals in
:24:59. > :25:02.16 games. He's now using his talents to raise money for a
:25:02. > :25:05.project set up in memory of another young footballer who was killed in
:25:05. > :25:14.a road accident. He's being sponsored for every goal he scores
:25:14. > :25:20.- and has so far raised �12,000 for Callum's Wish Foundation. At any
:25:20. > :25:25.level, to knock in seven -- so many goals, he is very talented. We are
:25:25. > :25:35.very proud of Aden that he is raising this much cash, and it goes
:25:35. > :25:41.
:25:41. > :25:43.towards the appeal. He looks On the eve of March it's all
:25:43. > :25:47.looking pretty benign - some slight variations in temperatures, a lot
:25:47. > :25:50.of cloud but mainly dry Just a shame we're not bathed in sunshine
:25:50. > :25:54.like that countryside. It's only by the weekend that things begin to
:25:54. > :25:57.change. At the moment, we're being dominated by that rather prominent
:25:57. > :26:00.are of High pressure but as soon as it relinquishes control, cold
:26:00. > :26:03.fronts gain entry and so does low pressure, so it'll turn cooler over
:26:03. > :26:07.the weekend with some rain right now though it's looking dry, a good
:26:07. > :26:12.deal of cloud across the region and where we do get the breaks -
:26:12. > :26:20.there'll be some mist patches. Temperatures dropping to a minimum
:26:20. > :26:23.of eight Celsius. A bit grey to start with tomorrow, then, but as
:26:23. > :26:26.with most days this week you'll find the cloud breaking a little
:26:26. > :26:35.through the day and more particularly it seems tomorrow to
:26:35. > :26:45.the East of higher ground. Temperatures are similar - around
:26:45. > :26:51.
:26:51. > :26:55.13 Celsius with light winds. We may see a few more breaks tomorrow
:26:55. > :27:02.night though - therefore, it may be a bit cooler with lows of around
:27:02. > :27:05.six or seven and the outlook for Thursday and Friday, much the same.
:27:05. > :27:09.Temperatures may be a little lower only because the nights may be a
:27:09. > :27:17.touch cooler so more ground to make up for. There may be a bit of rain
:27:17. > :27:20.on Friday night into Saturday. look at tonight's main headlines:
:27:20. > :27:23.The wounded British photographer trapped in Syria for days has been
:27:23. > :27:25.smuggled out of the country. And signs of economic recovery, as a
:27:25. > :27:31.multi-million pound plan's announced to bring large-scale
:27:31. > :27:33.truck-building to Staffordshire. That's all from us this evening,
:27:33. > :27:36.but on tomorrow's Midlands Today we'll be seeing if Birmingham has
:27:36. > :27:39.found the answer to stopping the huge increase in manhole cover