:00:04. > :00:07.Hello, welcome to Midlands Today with Mary Rhodes and Nick Owen.
:00:07. > :00:11.The headlines tonight: The man who quelled last summer's riots in
:00:11. > :00:14.Birmingham escapes a jail sentence for assault.
:00:14. > :00:21.Is the West Midlands rivalling China for business? Signs of
:00:21. > :00:26.increasing confidence in our region's economy. If you compare
:00:26. > :00:29.them with like surveys, you can see that Birmingham is performing as
:00:29. > :00:34.well. Under fire, plans to burn millions
:00:34. > :00:37.of tonnes of imported wood at a giant power station. The scale of
:00:37. > :00:43.the wood fuel required for the power station is phenomenal. We are
:00:43. > :00:46.talking about something like 2 million tonnes of wood pallets
:00:46. > :00:56.every year. And pride in their Passion Play,
:00:56. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:04.celebrating Easter by telling Good evening, welcome to Thursday's
:01:04. > :01:08.Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight: the man who calmed the
:01:08. > :01:11.Birmingham riots escapes a jail sentence.
:01:11. > :01:15.Tariq Jahan appealed to the youth of the city to leave the streets
:01:16. > :01:19.and go home. His words came after the death of his own son in the
:01:19. > :01:26.disturbances. Few knew at the time that Jahan was awaiting trial for a
:01:26. > :01:29.serious assault. Today a jury convicted him of
:01:29. > :01:31.causing grievous bodily harm but a judge said that, because of his
:01:31. > :01:34.public spirited actions in the riots, Jahan wouldn't go to jail.
:01:34. > :01:37.He's been speaking exclusively to our special correspondent Peter
:01:37. > :01:42.Wilson. Tariq Jahan emerged from court a
:01:42. > :01:45.free man but guilty of greivous bodily harm. The man who's brave
:01:45. > :01:55.words calmed a city boiling over last August chose to say nothing
:01:55. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :01:58.immediately after the verdict. But at the height of the riots, he'd
:01:58. > :02:01.been calm and controlled appealing for peace immediately after the
:02:01. > :02:09.death of his son Haroon and two brothers Shazad Ali and Abdul
:02:09. > :02:19.Musavir. We stand here, to plead with all of the youth to remain
:02:19. > :02:21.
:02:21. > :02:23.calm, for our communities to stand united. But just weeks before Tariq
:02:23. > :02:26.Jahan had been involved in a roadside altercation with this man,
:02:26. > :02:32.Sajjad Ali, outside a factory in Handsworth Birmingham. So what did
:02:32. > :02:37.he do? With one punch, for blow broke the other man's jaw and also
:02:37. > :02:41.broke two teeth. He admitted in court that he had lied to the
:02:41. > :02:48.police and that once he told one lie, he had to tell a 1000 more to
:02:48. > :02:51.cover it up. Tariq Jahan has been feted nationally, his powerful
:02:51. > :02:53.words and composure touching people around the world but what did those
:02:53. > :03:03.living and working in his own neighbourhood think of his
:03:03. > :03:03.
:03:03. > :03:09.conviction for violence. He is still a peaceful man. He is a great
:03:09. > :03:14.person. Still a role model? Yes. he was a true man of peace, this
:03:15. > :03:19.kind of violence should not be exhibited at all. It has changed my
:03:19. > :03:22.opinion about him. Later Tariq Jahan agreed to speak to me outside
:03:22. > :03:25.his house in Winson Green. The judge had spared him a prison
:03:25. > :03:33.sentence because of his actions in helping to defuse the violence last
:03:33. > :03:39.August. I regret what happened but maintain my position of self-
:03:39. > :03:44.defence. However, I accept the decision of the jury and the judge.
:03:44. > :03:47.By want to thank the community and the wider public for their
:03:48. > :03:52.continued support throughout this difficult time. Do you feel as
:03:53. > :04:02.though you've let people down? the time of the riots, I did what I
:04:02. > :04:06.thought was right. Now, as regards to the public, I will leave that to
:04:06. > :04:16.them to decide, they can make up their minds. I have nothing there
:04:16. > :04:20.
:04:20. > :04:23.to say, thank you. -- nothing more to say. Mr Jahan has been ordered
:04:24. > :04:27.to do 100 hours unpaid work and to pay �1,000 in compensation to his
:04:27. > :04:30.victim. And Peter's with us now. In many ways, Tariq Jahan was a hero
:04:30. > :04:32.last summer. Will this case have damaged his standing in the
:04:32. > :04:36.community? He was lucky to escape a jail
:04:36. > :04:42.sentence today. The judge described it as mindless violence. But he
:04:42. > :04:45.also said that in his judgment, he had saved the day in Birmingham,
:04:45. > :04:49.with VAT appeal. I think people are going to make up their minds.
:04:49. > :04:53.People will be split but they will also read a lot in the newspaper
:04:53. > :04:56.about previous convictions in his past.
:04:56. > :05:02.If what more did he have to say to you today?
:05:02. > :05:07.He still feels as though he was acting in self-defence but he also
:05:07. > :05:11.said that he desperately wants to use the national attention but he
:05:11. > :05:15.gained unwillingly to be able to help people. What was interesting
:05:16. > :05:20.was all the journalists bundled out of court when those verdicts were
:05:20. > :05:25.delivered. He walked back into court and shook hands with for
:05:25. > :05:29.court usher. He seems to have a lot of time for people and has a
:05:29. > :05:33.presence. Still to come in tonight's
:05:33. > :05:43.programme: ahead of London 2012, a true Olympian from Solihull is
:05:43. > :05:45.reunited with old team-mates from We're performing better than the
:05:45. > :05:47.Chinese, that's the bold claim tonight from business leaders in
:05:48. > :05:50.the West Midlands who say manufacturing order books are
:05:50. > :05:52.booming. The latest quarterly economic survey of more than three
:05:52. > :05:55.thousan companies forecasts a return to confidence, with many
:05:55. > :05:58.expecting an increase in turnover and sales in the coming months. But
:05:58. > :06:04.while confidence appears to be returning, very few firms are ready
:06:04. > :06:11.to take on more staff. When it comes to jobs and demand
:06:11. > :06:17.for goods, China's a land of plenty. But 5,000 miles from Beijing,
:06:17. > :06:21.business leaders say it's boom time in Birmingham. If you compare them
:06:21. > :06:25.with particular regions in China, you can see that Birmingham is
:06:25. > :06:35.performing as well and in some cases exceeding quality level of
:06:35. > :06:39.
:06:39. > :06:41.production. This concept car will become the Jaguar F Type. Just one
:06:41. > :06:45.reason says the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce that local
:06:45. > :06:50.manufacturing has cause for optimism. This survey suggests that
:06:50. > :06:53.60 % 60% of manufacturers are now confident that turnover will
:06:54. > :06:57.improve. But just 37% are working at full capacity, a lot less than
:06:57. > :07:05.last year. Three years ago, in the midst of recession, we filmed at
:07:06. > :07:09.BSA Machine tools in Birmingham. We found cautious pessimism. Renewed
:07:09. > :07:13.companies with order books, because that is the difference in this
:07:13. > :07:18.recession, companies have got order books. They need the working
:07:18. > :07:22.capital. Now, Steve Brittain's exporting to China and Mexico.
:07:22. > :07:28.we are confident that things are starting to improve. We are taking
:07:28. > :07:32.apprentices on. But there's a long way to go. A few miles away,
:07:32. > :07:35.teenagers come along to the Pump, a charity in Shard End. They get
:07:35. > :07:43.advice and skills to get a job but less than a third of local firms
:07:43. > :07:52.plan to recruit. It is really depressing. There is a Shujah mound
:07:52. > :07:55.of talent out there, -- There is a huge amount of talent out there.
:07:55. > :08:05.Confidence is difficult to measure. While manufacturing sales are
:08:05. > :08:07.
:08:07. > :08:11.improving, growth in the service sector is said to be static.
:08:11. > :08:14.Our Business Correspondent is at Jaguar's plant at Castle Bromwich
:08:14. > :08:18.for us this evening. Encouraging signs in our region, which comes at
:08:18. > :08:24.the same time as the announcement from Jaguar about it's new F Type.
:08:24. > :08:28.It is good news about the Jaguar, which will be built here. That in
:08:28. > :08:33.turn that means new jobs and undoubtedly job security. The F
:08:33. > :08:36.type first was unveiled in Frankfurt last year, where it was a
:08:36. > :08:39.concept car. Last night, Jaguar announced that it would go into
:08:39. > :08:42.production. They made that announcement at the New York
:08:42. > :08:52.International Motor Show. Jaguar officials they explained more about
:08:52. > :08:57.the decision to go ahead with the model. It will be a full and
:08:57. > :09:00.ammonium chassis, built in the UK. -- aluminium. The first version of
:09:00. > :09:04.this vehicle will be a convertible and will be available on the market
:09:04. > :09:08.in the middle of next year. Just over one year from now. In fact,
:09:08. > :09:13.the product is so well advanced, we already have prototypes leaving the
:09:13. > :09:16.factory as we speak, with the appropriate level of camouflage.
:09:16. > :09:22.What about the bigger picture, how is business doing in our region
:09:22. > :09:25.outside manufacturing? Ben did concentrate on manufacturing which
:09:25. > :09:29.is doing extremely well but elsewhere, it is not such a good
:09:29. > :09:32.picture. The survey paints a sorry picture about things like retail,
:09:32. > :09:36.which are still depressed. It is fairly clear that people are
:09:36. > :09:40.holding on to their money rather than spending. Also, home and
:09:40. > :09:46.export sales in the service sector remain static. It says there is
:09:46. > :09:50.more optimism around, particularly when they taking the next 12 months.
:09:50. > :09:54.60 % of those in the service sector expects turnover to improve. 64
:09:54. > :09:58.expect profits to increase. It is a mixed picture but it is fairly
:09:58. > :10:03.clear there is more optimism around and if there is more optimism, that
:10:03. > :10:10.often means that people are more inclined to think about recruitment
:10:10. > :10:15.Police have revealed that a man killed in an arson attack on his
:10:15. > :10:18.home had a history of sex offending. 52-year-old Andrew Heath died in
:10:18. > :10:21.the fire at his flat in Worcester last December. A murder inquiry is
:10:21. > :10:25.underway. Police say Mr Heath had five convictions for gross
:10:25. > :10:30.indecency and indecent assault against teenage boys. The offences
:10:30. > :10:33.happened in Leicester and Birmingham between 1984 and 1999.
:10:33. > :10:36.A pedestrian is in hospital with serious head and back injuries
:10:36. > :10:39.after being knocked down by a police car in Birmingham. He was
:10:39. > :10:41.walking near the Newtown Shopping Centre, in Newtown Row, when the
:10:41. > :10:49.collision happened just after seven last night. An investigation is
:10:49. > :10:51.underway and police are appealing for witnesses.
:10:51. > :10:56.A controversial plan to burn millions of tonnes of imported wood
:10:56. > :10:59.in a Shropshire power station got the go ahead this afternoon. Energy
:10:59. > :11:04.company EOn says the proposals are sustainable and qualify for green
:11:04. > :11:07.subsidies from the government. Opponents say this will lead to
:11:07. > :11:17.large areas of North America being stripped of trees and could reduce
:11:17. > :11:18.
:11:18. > :11:20.air quality around the power station.
:11:20. > :11:25.At today's planning meeting at Shropshire County Council,
:11:25. > :11:28.opponents of these plans were looking to be heard. Energy company
:11:28. > :11:38.EOn wants to begin burning imported wood pellets alongside coal at
:11:38. > :11:40.
:11:40. > :11:43.Ironbridge power station. I went to meet the protestors at Bildwuss
:11:43. > :11:48.village hall just up the road from the power station itself. Be the
:11:48. > :11:54.scale of the wood fuel required is phenomenal. We are talking about 2
:11:54. > :12:02.million tonnes of with pellets every year. That will require clear
:12:02. > :12:05.felling of forests in North America. The protestors say the two million
:12:05. > :12:08.tonnes of wood needed is equivalent to clearing a densely packed forest
:12:08. > :12:12.stretching from Wellington to Wenlock every single year. It seems
:12:12. > :12:17.to me that with the word sustainable attached to this, it
:12:17. > :12:22.doesn't work. It is not sustainable at all. It is looking a little bit
:12:22. > :12:25.greener here for total destruction in other parts of the world. It
:12:25. > :12:33.doesn't make sense. There are also worries about the impact on the
:12:33. > :12:38.environment closer to home. I find it rather disturbing that a company
:12:38. > :12:42.in of his planning application, there doesn't seem to be an air
:12:42. > :12:46.quality assessment. One would have hoped that would be standard and I
:12:46. > :12:51.would have expected the council to have requested it. The reasoning
:12:51. > :12:55.for that is not clear. I think it needs clarifying before a planning
:12:55. > :12:59.meeting. And opponents have one more worry. Ironbridge power
:12:59. > :13:03.station is due to close in 2015 because it doesn't meet pollution
:13:03. > :13:08.targets. But could switching to would allow them to push back at
:13:08. > :13:12.closure date? That is what those who oppose the scheme expect.
:13:12. > :13:22.And David joins us now from Ironbridge. What happened at this
:13:22. > :13:23.
:13:23. > :13:26.afternoon's meeting? Once the council committee decided to go on
:13:26. > :13:30.a field trip, they came to Ironbridge power station to see the
:13:30. > :13:39.site of the new building, to see where it will be and then they went
:13:39. > :13:42.back to the Shire Hall. That was to go ahead with... Really, the
:13:42. > :13:45.committee said that all these other things the protesters were worried
:13:45. > :13:49.about, these were outside the remit of the committee's planning
:13:49. > :13:54.decision. It didn't affect the decision at all. You can imagine
:13:54. > :13:58.the protesters were not happy about that. A So what do EOn say about
:13:58. > :14:03.all this? They are very happy, and pleased
:14:03. > :14:09.with the decision. They say it safeguards 100 jobs until 2015.
:14:09. > :14:13.They also said that the wood that will be burned here is sustainable.
:14:13. > :14:17.We will only purchase the award from sustainable sources. A house
:14:17. > :14:25.to be audited and monitored through Ofgem. It has to meet their
:14:25. > :14:35.requirements. What are these renewable obligation
:14:35. > :14:40.certificates or ROCs? They are unimportant part of this story
:14:40. > :14:44.because what is considered as biomass. It is a green energy
:14:44. > :14:48.supply and it attracts a subsidy. That is what these rocks off. The
:14:48. > :14:51.question is how much subsidy. The company couldn't tell us, neither
:14:52. > :14:55.could the Government, but judging by what energy has been produced
:14:56. > :15:02.here in the past, we think switching from coal to what could
:15:02. > :15:05.Secure green subsidies of �100 million a year or more.
:15:05. > :15:08.A man accused of stealing a car with two toddlers inside has been
:15:08. > :15:13.remanded in custody until next week. 44-year-old Cedric Brown appeared
:15:13. > :15:16.before magistrates in Birmingham on charges of robbery and kidnap. He's
:15:16. > :15:22.accused of dragging a woman from a vehicle in Erdington on Tuesday
:15:22. > :15:25.before driving it away. The children were later found unhurt.
:15:25. > :15:28.The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to look at how Avon
:15:28. > :15:31.and Somerset police handled the case of a woman who'd gone missing
:15:31. > :15:35.from Redditch. The body of 20-year- old Louise Jones was discovered at
:15:35. > :15:38.Rodway Hill in South Gloucestershire six days ago.
:15:38. > :15:48.Louise's family alerted police and she later made a 999 call but it
:15:48. > :15:57.was more than four hours before she was found.
:15:57. > :16:00.Later: grand designs on this Shropshire water tower. One man's
:16:00. > :16:02.plans to turn it into the home of his dreams. And Bank Holidays
:16:02. > :16:12.aren't generally famed for favourable weather. Find out if
:16:12. > :16:13.
:16:13. > :16:16.this Easter's any different in a One day every four years, a market
:16:16. > :16:19.town in Herefordshire is transported back two millennia.
:16:19. > :16:24.More than 100 local people, young and old alike, re-enact the Passion,
:16:24. > :16:27.the story of Christ's last days, his trial and crucifixion.
:16:27. > :16:31.It's one of the oldest passion plays in the country and it'll be
:16:31. > :16:39.staged tomorrow, Good Friday. Pontius Pilate is having his
:16:39. > :16:44.costume altered. I am really looking forward to it. It will be a
:16:44. > :16:52.real location. Brian the retired art teacher is busy painting the
:16:52. > :16:56.scenery. It has been a mad -- but we are there. And the singers are
:16:56. > :17:00.practising the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic. A a they were sceptical
:17:00. > :17:06.but now they are going great. And it's all for this, Leominster's
:17:06. > :17:09.Passion Play, filmed here in dress rehearsal. And as you can tell from
:17:09. > :17:12.that footage the Passion Play isn't being performed in a theatre but
:17:12. > :17:15.Leominster itself is the stage. This is the Corn Square and this is
:17:15. > :17:18.where the crucifixion scene will take place. Streets around the town
:17:18. > :17:21.will form the backdrop for the cast of over 100 people. They're all
:17:21. > :17:30.volunteers, including Trish Marsh who has the unenviable job of stage
:17:30. > :17:34.manager. It is complex because we have eight locations. He's fabulous
:17:34. > :17:39.banners are also quite a challenge, especially if the wind is up.
:17:39. > :17:44.Nervous. I suppose I will be tomorrow but I have an easy part
:17:44. > :17:54.because a lot of the story I can read, so it is no great problem
:17:54. > :17:54.
:17:54. > :17:57.about being required to learn that the text. A Passion Plays are
:17:57. > :18:00.linked to mystery plays, amongst the most famous are those staged in
:18:00. > :18:04.York. Leominster's Passion might be on a smaller scale but people here
:18:04. > :18:07.are just as dedicated. People have been talking about it for months.
:18:07. > :18:10.They've been very supportive. We've done it on an absolute shoestring
:18:10. > :18:15.but again, people have been generous with their time and their
:18:16. > :18:22.efforts. A The Passion Play will start at the town's Forbury Chapel
:18:22. > :18:25.at 11.15am tomorrow and they're praying that the weather's kind.
:18:25. > :18:28.It was three years after the end of the Second World War that this
:18:28. > :18:33.country last played host to the Olympic Games. A cyclist from
:18:33. > :18:36.Solihull was among the medal winners in 1948.
:18:36. > :18:43.Now, for a BBC radio programme, 91- year-old Tommy Godwin went back to
:18:43. > :18:49.London to be re-united with some of his team-mates.
:18:49. > :18:54.They were known as the Austerity Olympics. Post-war Britain,
:18:54. > :19:01.rationing still in place and a make do and mend attitude. 64 years on
:19:01. > :19:10.and 91-year-old Tommy Godwin takes it all in his stride. Boy I get
:19:10. > :19:13.very emotional. He won two bronze medals for cycling in 1948 and was
:19:13. > :19:20.proud to make the journey from him home in Solihull for Radio 4's
:19:20. > :19:23.Reunion programme. The people in charge were determined that the
:19:23. > :19:29.nation needed cheering up and that two weeks of sporting endeavour was
:19:29. > :19:31.a fine way to do it. We showed the world what we could do. A Tommy is
:19:31. > :19:34.the Midlands' only surviving medallist from the last time the
:19:34. > :19:43.Olympics were staged in this country. He's now an Olympic
:19:43. > :19:51.ambassador for London 2012. Bit is so wonderful to -- it is so
:19:51. > :19:54.wonderful for people to ask my opinion as a man of 91 years of age.
:19:54. > :19:57.He's also one of 8,000 people who'll carry the Olympic Torch and
:19:57. > :20:02.last year he was inducted into the BBC Midlands Sporting Hall of Fame.
:20:02. > :20:07.He says they are accolades his late wife would have been proud of.
:20:07. > :20:17.wife said, Tom, this cannot be happening to you! She would have
:20:17. > :20:19.loved every minute. She sacrificed so much for me. One of Tommy's
:20:19. > :20:22.highlights of the Reunion was meeting Sir Roger Bannister, who
:20:22. > :20:25.later became known for the four minute mile in 1954. The show's
:20:25. > :20:35.host though was touched by their struggles to fulfil their sporting
:20:35. > :20:36.
:20:37. > :20:42.ambitions. It was the do it yourself. It was a way of cheering
:20:42. > :20:48.up the nation. I get more proud of the year of my life. Super, I love
:20:48. > :20:52.every minute of it. I may show off! Any excuse then to show off his
:20:52. > :21:02.medals. And you can listen to Tommy's Reunion programme tomorrow
:21:02. > :21:04.
:21:04. > :21:08.morning on Radio 4 at nine o'clock. Sport on two wheels of a very
:21:08. > :21:10.different kind now. This weekend is the start of the new MotoGP season.
:21:10. > :21:13.Cal Crutchlow from Coventry's entering his second year in
:21:13. > :21:18.motorcycling's elite level. He needs to impress to keep his place
:21:18. > :21:22.on the team. They race at speeds of up to 150
:21:22. > :21:32.miles an hour. And attract television audiences around the
:21:32. > :21:32.
:21:32. > :21:35.world of more than 300 million for every race. MotoGP riders are
:21:35. > :21:39.motorsport superstars and on Sunday in Qatar they take to the track
:21:39. > :21:42.again for the first Grand Prix of the new season. Among them 26-year-
:21:42. > :21:45.old Cal Crutchlow from Coventry who graduated to the top level last
:21:45. > :21:50.season and finished 12th in the championship. Now I know the
:21:50. > :21:54.circuits. Still, you say you know them but those guys have been here
:21:54. > :21:57.longer. It got a lot of experience on me but at least I know where I'm
:21:57. > :22:00.going on a Friday afternoon. There's no doubt of the dangers of
:22:00. > :22:05.the sport. Crashes are an occupational hazard and Crutchlow
:22:05. > :22:07.came off himself in the British GP. Then tragically one of the leading
:22:07. > :22:09.riders, Marco Simoncelli, was killed in the penultimate race of
:22:09. > :22:15.last season. There are other pressures too. Crutchlow's initial
:22:15. > :22:22.contract is for two years. With a new rider already signed for next
:22:22. > :22:26.season, only one of the current pair will get another deal. A this
:22:26. > :22:31.is my year to prove a lot of people wrong but I think we had a good
:22:31. > :22:36.year last year. We were going as fast last year as what the winners
:22:36. > :22:42.were a year before. I cannot be doing much more. It's just that the
:22:42. > :22:45.results didn't show. I think this year will be a big year. He has
:22:46. > :22:54.impressed in testing but only when the red lights go out on Sunday
:22:54. > :22:57.will we know whether Crutchlow can really make an impact.
:22:57. > :23:01.The new county cricket season has got underway today, with warm
:23:01. > :23:03.sweaters and flasks of tea the order of the day. There have been a
:23:03. > :23:07.plenty of wickets at Trent Bridge where Worcestershire bowled
:23:07. > :23:10.Nottinghamshire out. It was tough going for Gloucestershire against
:23:10. > :23:18.Essex at Chelmsford where the home side were eventually all out for
:23:18. > :23:23.364. A I was lucky enough to be at derby
:23:23. > :23:30.against Northamptonshire this afternoon. I could see snow on the
:23:31. > :23:34.hills! It was a bizarre feeling. It is great to have the cricket
:23:34. > :23:37.season under way! What would be your ideal house? A
:23:37. > :23:41.quiet place on the beach? A luxury penthouse? Or maybe your own
:23:41. > :23:45.castle? Well, how about living 50 feet
:23:45. > :23:49.above the ground in a water tower? That's what one Shropshire man is
:23:49. > :23:56.planning to do. Ben Sidwell's been to meet him and take a look around
:23:56. > :23:59.one of the most unusal des-reses you've ever seen.
:23:59. > :24:02.Standing around 1,000 feet above sea level, Netchwood Water Tower,
:24:02. > :24:05.close to Bridgnorth, has lay empty and unused for the last few years.
:24:05. > :24:10.But that's all about to change. Welcome. I hope you've got a head
:24:10. > :24:13.for heights. A When Vince Jones heard it was up for sale, he was
:24:13. > :24:16.determined to have it as his new home. Waiting for us halfway up,
:24:16. > :24:19.the architect who's helped design one of the most unusual homes in
:24:19. > :24:28.the country. I was born and bred locally. I have cycled past it
:24:28. > :24:35.regularly and I've had a fault, a vision. Are you excited? I cannot
:24:35. > :24:45.wait! I feel like a child at Christmas. We are itching to get
:24:45. > :24:52.
:24:52. > :24:58.Vince bought three Tower last year and thinks it will cost �500,000 to
:24:58. > :25:00.converted. He is hoping to move in later next year. Vince, who owns an
:25:00. > :25:03.engineering company, will oversee the project himself and plans to
:25:03. > :25:13.keep or use many of the original features. But the real treat is
:25:13. > :25:15.
:25:15. > :25:19.waiting for us on the top of the tower. So, here we are. And this is
:25:19. > :25:28.what it is all about. From the Malverns on one side, to the Wrekin
:25:28. > :25:32.on the other, the views are spectacular. It is different. But
:25:32. > :25:36.not seen anything like this converted. We've watched programmes
:25:36. > :25:39.on other channels, people converting properties, and have not
:25:40. > :25:49.seen anything like this. It's exciting, wonderful. Vince hopes to
:25:50. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:03.begin work on his grand design We can forget about the snow this
:26:04. > :26:08.weekend. But I would still suggest it's good one for putting your feet
:26:08. > :26:11.up and staying indoors if you're able to. Especially on Easter Day
:26:12. > :26:19.and Easter Monday - bit of rain at times - also the chance of some
:26:19. > :26:26.prolific showers. It's the high pressure to the West that's keeping
:26:26. > :26:29.As for the temperatures, they're being regulated by the change in
:26:29. > :26:33.winds. But we start tonight with the cloud melting away leaving all
:26:33. > :26:36.parts dry and clear with quite a widespread frost. And it's a going
:26:36. > :26:42.to be quite cold tonight as temperatures dip a minimum of minus
:26:42. > :26:45.two in rural spots, zero degrees in towns and cities. So a chilly start
:26:45. > :26:55.to Good Friday but a sunny one although, there'll be increasing
:26:55. > :26:59.amounts of cloud filtering down from the north through the day. The
:26:59. > :27:07.cloud may be thick enough to trigger the odd shower in rural
:27:07. > :27:11.parts. Temperatures doing quite well tomorrow, 10 or 11 degrees.
:27:11. > :27:15.Moving on to tomorrow night, we have got more showers as the cloud
:27:15. > :27:18.thickened up. As we approach the weekend, we are looking at a
:27:18. > :27:28.Saturday being a bit cooler and the temperatures picking up nicely by
:27:28. > :27:29.
:27:29. > :27:32.temperatures picking up nicely by A look at tonight's main headlines:
:27:32. > :27:35.a hosepipe ban has been introduced across much of southern and eastern
:27:35. > :27:38.England after two of the driest winters on record. And the man