:00:09. > :00:13.Hello, welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines: success on a plate -
:00:13. > :00:19.record sales figures for a pottery firm in the week we sank back into
:00:19. > :00:25.recession. They know that it is going to be reliable, be the best
:00:25. > :00:29.value and they trust the company. Paralysed after a hit and run crash
:00:29. > :00:34.last year, now amazingly he walks out of hospital.
:00:34. > :00:38.A truly inspiring - 50 years on, a retired pilot recalls putting the
:00:38. > :00:43.finishing touches to Coventry Cathedral.
:00:43. > :00:53.And manager Alex McLeish says he will shoulder the burden as Aston
:00:53. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:09.Good evening. Welcome to Friday's Midlands Today. Tonight in the week
:01:09. > :01:13.we officially entered a double-dip recession, a pottery firm announces
:01:14. > :01:18.record sales figures and plans to build a new factory. Steelite
:01:18. > :01:26.International based in Stoke-on- Trent has seen its sales jump by
:01:26. > :01:30.9.4 % over the last year, to �66.3 million. Profits reached �7.9
:01:30. > :01:37.million as the company announced it is to create 230 jobs by building a
:01:37. > :01:42.new factory. But the overall economic picture remains next.
:01:42. > :01:46.This factory is home to the UK's biggest tableware manufacturer.
:01:46. > :01:51.Steelite International's record sales figures come as the company
:01:51. > :01:55.is about to expand. It will create more than 200 jobs. It is about
:01:55. > :02:02.making sure we have the right skills going forward so that we can
:02:02. > :02:08.fulfil the orders. 18-year-old Dan Stone is one of eight apprentices
:02:08. > :02:14.at the company is taking on. I have many friends who struggled to get
:02:14. > :02:17.jobs who actually have studies, College, University and then myself,
:02:17. > :02:23.and other friends who have experience finding it easier to get
:02:23. > :02:29.jobs. As a result of healthy order books, production has increased. Up
:02:29. > :02:34.to half a million pieces of chinaware are made here every week.
:02:35. > :02:39.The fact that this is made in Britain has driven demand in
:02:39. > :02:44.markets including the United States and Asia. Oh round-the-world there
:02:44. > :02:47.is a lot of trust, a lot of faith in made in England and made in
:02:47. > :02:52.Stoke-on-Trent. People know they are going to get a good quality
:02:52. > :02:56.products, that it will be reliable, they know it will give them the
:02:56. > :03:01.best value and they trust the company and they trust the area to
:03:01. > :03:06.produce great products. But in a week where the economy officially
:03:06. > :03:10.double dip into recession, conditions remain challenging.
:03:10. > :03:15.would anticipate that later in the year growth will resume, but it
:03:15. > :03:19.will be what the Americans call by and large jobless growth. Back on
:03:19. > :03:25.the factory floor, those continuing concerns mean the outlook is still
:03:25. > :03:30.tough. Energy prices have a big impact. Nevertheless, this firm is
:03:30. > :03:34.leading the way in a resurgence in the pottery industry.
:03:34. > :03:40.Joining us is the director for the Confederation of British Industry
:03:40. > :03:43.in the West Midlands, Richard Butler. We have a bad picture
:03:43. > :03:48.nationally but somebody like Steelite International doing really
:03:48. > :03:56.well. How typical is that company? Et is fairly typical. We should not
:03:56. > :04:01.beat ourselves up about figures of the recession. We have had some bad
:04:01. > :04:05.news today. The Pritchard Group going into administration. They are
:04:05. > :04:10.in property development. Is that typical a picture of the
:04:10. > :04:14.construction industry? It does appear that construction has taken
:04:14. > :04:18.the bulk of the economic difficulties but we need to look at
:04:18. > :04:23.some of the opportunities and if you are servicing the UK at
:04:23. > :04:26.difficult markets, and it is quite promising. Where will be the
:04:26. > :04:31.crewmen come from? Unemployment figures dropped last month but we
:04:31. > :04:38.are still above the national average. We are and our region has
:04:38. > :04:43.been historically above the average. The success will come from my new
:04:43. > :04:47.factory -- manufacturing industries. We are optimistic and have plans
:04:47. > :04:52.for taking on the people. What are they looking to to increase
:04:52. > :04:59.business? The main trend is being fairly aggressive in their approach
:04:59. > :05:04.to international markets. In the UK, UK population is 1% of the global
:05:04. > :05:10.population. 99 % of global markets are overseas. Companies need to
:05:10. > :05:13.look more actively at international markets and opportunity is.
:05:13. > :05:17.A motorcyclist who endured months of gruelling treatment after a hit
:05:17. > :05:21.and run driver left him for dead fulfilled his dream of walking out
:05:21. > :05:25.of hospital today. John Parsons was initially left paralysed as a
:05:25. > :05:31.result of the crash and feared he would never walk again. Three have
:05:31. > :05:36.been following his remarkable story. 24-year-old John Parsons is
:05:36. > :05:41.realising a dream. His movement is slow and laboured, but his desire
:05:41. > :05:45.to one-day walkout of a specialist orthopaedic hospital is what has
:05:45. > :05:54.kept him going. He was initially paralysed after being knocked from
:05:54. > :06:00.his motorbike by a hit and run driver on the A500 in January.
:06:00. > :06:06.lost for words. I just want to go home now. It has taken so long to
:06:07. > :06:10.get this far. It is amazing. John, from Stafford, spent seven weeks
:06:10. > :06:15.lying on his back paralysed from the waist down after his spine was
:06:16. > :06:20.fractured in several places. Then longer still in physiotherapy.
:06:20. > :06:26.Today it was time to say goodbye to a fellow patients and to those who
:06:26. > :06:32.have treated him. I feel like I have had everything I always wanted
:06:32. > :06:38.and it has all suddenly come, like a dream come true. The future is
:06:38. > :06:44.very bright for John. He will eventually, in my experience, walk
:06:44. > :06:49.a lot better than he is walking at the moment. John is making a claim
:06:49. > :06:54.for a scheme set up to compensate victims of hit and run drivers. A
:06:54. > :07:00.spokesman for the Motor Insurers' Bureau said, sadly, John's is not
:07:00. > :07:07.an isolated case. Every year we received 30,000 claims from the
:07:07. > :07:13.victims of uninsured or on untraced drivers. They have a 1.2 million
:07:13. > :07:18.uninsured motorists on UK roads. 11 of the top 20 worst postcodes are
:07:19. > :07:23.here in the West Midlands. John headed home with his family with
:07:23. > :07:27.his hopes now set on eventually returning to work as an assistant
:07:27. > :07:30.shop manager. Staffordshire police meanwhile say they have exhausted
:07:30. > :07:37.all lines of inquiry but would review the case if new evidence
:07:37. > :07:40.comes in. Gloucestershire Police's Chief
:07:40. > :07:44.Constable has announced he is resigning in protest at the
:07:44. > :07:47.introduction of elected police commissioners. Tony Malvern is
:07:47. > :07:49.leaving after to Mickey is in the job saying he has grave concerns
:07:49. > :07:53.about the current police reform agenda.
:07:53. > :07:58.Campaigners against an illegal gypsy site say they will defy an
:07:58. > :08:01.order to take down their protest camp. Residents in Meriden have
:08:01. > :08:05.maintained a round-the-clock vigil for nearly two years close to a
:08:05. > :08:10.group of gypsies who set up camp without permission. Protesters have
:08:10. > :08:14.until Sunday to move. The gypsies say it is the residents who are now
:08:14. > :08:17.breaking the law and have accused them of hypocrisy. We will not take
:08:17. > :08:22.moral lessons from people who have a long-standing of unlawful
:08:22. > :08:27.activity. We are here to campaign and we will not cease until the
:08:27. > :08:32.green belt is restored. It is less than a week to go until voters go
:08:32. > :08:36.to the polls. So far much of the focus has been on referendums in
:08:36. > :08:41.Birmingham and Coventry over directly elected mayors but there
:08:41. > :08:45.are also a series of important town or contest taking place. 18
:08:45. > :08:51.councils are holding elections next Thursday when a total of 351 seats
:08:51. > :08:56.will be up for grabs. Among them is Tottenham which is currently the
:08:56. > :09:03.only council run by the Lib Dems. - - Cheltenham. Can they hold on to
:09:03. > :09:05.Cheltenham's council offices give this town a genteel appearance but
:09:05. > :09:10.it's politics is a rather different. Since the borough was created 40
:09:10. > :09:16.years ago, only the Lib Dems and Tories have run it and Labour at
:09:16. > :09:20.present do not have a single seat. Their bigger rivals regularly do
:09:20. > :09:25.electoral battle. The last time power shifted was in 2008 with the
:09:25. > :09:29.Lib Dems overhauling the Tories to take control. But that was before
:09:29. > :09:33.the parties got together at Westminster. The Lib Dems hope
:09:33. > :09:37.people can consider local issues when they vote. They are
:09:37. > :09:43.philosophical about the party's loss of support elsewhere. I have
:09:43. > :09:52.not seen any signs of that. I always remind people that I want to
:09:52. > :09:56.seek Tottenham on the opinion polls. Anything is possible. -- Cheltenham.
:09:56. > :09:59.And the doors of voters in Cheltenham get more political
:09:59. > :10:03.visitors than most places. Elections for half the council
:10:03. > :10:08.seats are held every two might years. That is something the Tories
:10:08. > :10:13.want to change. The first thing we would do is talk to the Boundary
:10:13. > :10:17.Commission and say look at this, or reduce the number will have
:10:17. > :10:22.councillors. The big thing we would do is move the elections to once
:10:22. > :10:25.every four years. Why are we spending taxpayers' money on having
:10:25. > :10:31.elections every second year? Leaving the Tories and Lib Dems are
:10:31. > :10:40.to attack each other suits the leader of the other group, the
:10:40. > :10:44.people against democracy. We have no interest in the well-being of
:10:45. > :10:49.either the Conservative Party or the Lib Dems. What we are
:10:49. > :10:56.interested in is doing what we believe is best for Cheltenham.
:10:56. > :11:01.Campaigning is intense. We will know the results in a week's time.
:11:01. > :11:04.Our political editor Patrick Burns joins us from outside Birmingham
:11:04. > :11:09.city council house. The Lib Dems battling to keep control in
:11:09. > :11:14.Cheltenham. They have quite a fight on their hands elsewhere.
:11:14. > :11:18.Absolutely. They are fighting for their very lives not just in
:11:18. > :11:23.Cheltenham but here in Birmingham and Newcastle under Lyme where they
:11:23. > :11:28.are the junior partners with the Conservatives. But there is a lot
:11:28. > :11:33.more riding their in Cheltenham. No surprise Nick Clegg has been there.
:11:33. > :11:39.Traditionally, although the party is languishing on 11 % in the polls,
:11:39. > :11:43.they have had a record of campaigning strongly. But I'm sure
:11:43. > :11:47.of Mr Clegg has been doing his best to bolster their local credentials.
:11:47. > :11:52.Well for Labour it is the opposite. They are fighting to gain new
:11:52. > :11:57.ground. Yes, the key thing about the seats is that the last time
:11:57. > :12:01.they were contested was four years ago when the Tories were on a roll.
:12:01. > :12:06.It is hard now for Labour not to gain ground by comparison because
:12:06. > :12:13.he in Birmingham, they need only four more seats to displace the
:12:13. > :12:18.Conservative, Lib Dem coalition. Similar targets Walsall and in
:12:18. > :12:22.Cannock Chase. What is in this for the Conservatives? Just damage-
:12:22. > :12:28.limitation? They are bracing themselves privately for a
:12:28. > :12:38.difficult week, but they do, at the moment they do have majorities in
:12:38. > :12:38.
:12:38. > :12:42.nine councils. Rugby is another big one. There they need 22 seats to
:12:42. > :12:51.retain control. Plenty for you to talk about in this week's Sunday
:12:51. > :12:54.Politics. Yes we are on at fog will clog on BBC One. There is more
:12:54. > :12:59.about the referendum on electoral mayor's also.
:13:00. > :13:05.Still to come: it will not stop raining, are things looking better
:13:05. > :13:08.for the weekend? A weekend of two halves. Drier weather for Saturday
:13:08. > :13:14.but it will stay cloudy but for Sunday, it is turning very wet and
:13:14. > :13:24.very windy with the potential to see localised flooding. 84 forecast
:13:24. > :13:27.
:13:27. > :13:31.Police have released photos of drivers stealing petrol from
:13:31. > :13:35.service stations. A crime known as bilking and according to petrol
:13:35. > :13:41.retailers it has become endemic. In Wolverhampton there have been more
:13:41. > :13:49.than more -- 80 cases since the beginning of March. Some of the
:13:49. > :13:54.industry want people forced to pay up. Sergeant Colin Mattinson shows
:13:54. > :13:58.me where the latest spate of petrol best have taken place. The drivers
:13:58. > :14:02.who are stealing it were caught on camera after filling their cars
:14:02. > :14:06.with petrol, they drove off without paying, the number plates are
:14:06. > :14:11.stolen. Across the city there have been 83 similar crimes in the last
:14:11. > :14:20.two months. There has been investments particularly in this
:14:20. > :14:24.station up with CCTV, which helps us track down those offenders.
:14:24. > :14:30.Bilking has forced Shailesh Parekh to turn detective. He regularly
:14:30. > :14:37.checks numberplates that pullup. this service station, I last �3,000.
:14:37. > :14:41.RMI petrol has say bilking is endemic across the UK. From talking
:14:41. > :14:47.to their members they reckon accidents have doubled and they are
:14:47. > :14:51.blaming the recession for the high cost of fuel. Police launched an
:14:51. > :14:55.operation to tackle bilking and incidents in the first four months
:14:55. > :14:59.of this year fell by 37 %. But retailers say a growing problem is
:14:59. > :15:04.the number of people filling up and then claiming they cannot afford to
:15:04. > :15:09.pay. I would like all stations to follow what they do in America
:15:09. > :15:16.where you have to go into the kiosk and pay first. Police say they hope
:15:16. > :15:19.these images will encourage anyone 50 years ago today, the finishing
:15:19. > :15:22.touches were being put to Coventry's new cathedral. The RAF
:15:22. > :15:25.came in to hoist the bronze spire onto the roof in a delicate and
:15:25. > :15:32.precarious operation, and one of the pilots involved all those years
:15:32. > :15:34.ago has been back to inspect his handiwork.
:15:34. > :15:38.50 years ago today this RAF Helicopter made a short but
:15:38. > :15:48.historic flight when it was used to lift the 80-foot bronze spire onto
:15:48. > :15:52.
:15:52. > :15:56.The pilots were John Dowling on the left and Ron Salt on the right.
:15:56. > :16:06.John has since passed away but Ron is in good health and has decided
:16:06. > :16:07.
:16:07. > :16:17.to see his endeavours from all So with the help of West Midlands
:16:17. > :16:26.
:16:26. > :16:36.Fire Service he was taken onto the Just get that over...! That is it.
:16:36. > :16:37.
:16:37. > :16:47.Wonderful. We came from that direction all along the roof. It is
:16:47. > :16:47.
:16:47. > :16:52.good. Well worth seeing like theirs. We did not have a roof like this at
:16:52. > :16:59.the height like this to practise with. We just had a flat airfield.
:16:59. > :17:05.It was well worth doing what we did because we came here full of
:17:05. > :17:08.confidence, probably cheekily so, but it worked.
:17:08. > :17:17.This was nearly called off because of the menacing weather, but we
:17:17. > :17:22.have just managed to find a gap in the clouds, and Ron is delighted.
:17:23. > :17:28.I'm so thrilled to see Commentary now as I have never seen it before.
:17:28. > :17:35.-- to see Coventry. It is a thrill to look over the city and see it
:17:35. > :17:38.has developed so much. With his visit at an end, it was
:17:38. > :17:46.time for Ron to return to his family home in Wiltshire. But he'll
:17:46. > :17:50.be bring back stories of another memorable visit to Coventry.
:17:50. > :17:52.A brave man! Now with a look ahead to a crucial
:17:52. > :17:55.weekend in the football calendar, here's Dan Pallett.
:17:55. > :17:58.Aston Villa have three games left to hang on to their Premier League
:17:58. > :18:01.status. And just to add a little extra spice tomorrow, they make the
:18:01. > :18:05.short trip to West Bromwich Albion. Today both managers said they
:18:05. > :18:10.believed Villa would avoid relegation. So now it's up to Alex
:18:10. > :18:16.McLeish to deliver the goods. Ian Winter has been to meet him.
:18:16. > :18:21.He walked in knowing he faced some tough questions. And typical of the
:18:21. > :18:25.man, his answers were straightforward. But it was the
:18:25. > :18:28.team's slump in performance that has made them angry.
:18:28. > :18:33.Have you ever seen such abuse as the other night?
:18:33. > :18:37.I don't hear individual shouts. I hear the Boeing, but I was
:18:37. > :18:47.disappointed. But he knows Aston Villa's
:18:47. > :18:50.
:18:50. > :18:54.condition is critical. They have Do you feel you are in a no-win
:18:54. > :19:00.situation? I don't see it that way. If we stay
:19:00. > :19:04.in the division, I will be much happier about the future.
:19:04. > :19:11.You would be. But would that play KP Aston Villa fans?
:19:11. > :19:16.I can only try to win them over. But are the fans willing to be won
:19:16. > :19:21.over? The Albion boss watched Tuesday's defeat by Bolton, and
:19:21. > :19:26.today he said he would be surprised if Aston Villa went down. But he
:19:26. > :19:30.added, nothing is unthinkable. The club statement in midweek was
:19:30. > :19:35.meant to clarify the situation. But it has muddied the waters.
:19:35. > :19:39.It was a statement for the last three games. That is as far as we
:19:39. > :19:43.should be looking. Does that sound like a man who is
:19:43. > :19:47.making plans for next season? Probably not. But if the next three
:19:47. > :19:54.games are his last, he can't afford to see Aston Villa take the lead
:19:54. > :19:57.and then lose at West Brom, as they did earlier.
:19:57. > :19:59.Relegation and promotion issues could be settled in Leagues One and
:19:59. > :20:02.Two this weekend. It means fans of Walsall, Shrewsbury, Cheltenham and
:20:02. > :20:11.Hereford are either dreaming of glory or fearing the worst. It's
:20:11. > :20:15.It's their last away trip of the season, and it could be their last
:20:15. > :20:21.in the football league for a while. Hereford United are bottom but one
:20:21. > :20:27.in League Two. They're two points from safety, and the fixture hasn't
:20:27. > :20:32.been kind. The problem for Hereford is their
:20:32. > :20:37.last two Danes are tough. -- two games.
:20:37. > :20:47.We are trying to stay positive. We know we have got two massive games.
:20:47. > :20:49.We have got to stay positive and take the positivity into the game.
:20:49. > :20:53.Walsall have also got that sinking feeling, especially after losing
:20:53. > :20:58.their last three matches. Fan Paul Leadbeater has been to almost 2,000
:20:58. > :21:05.games. He's part of a passionate hardcore hoping for survival.
:21:05. > :21:10.We have got a hard core of 3,500. To be honest, they are very loyal
:21:10. > :21:16.supporters. I just hope for them as much as the football club and the
:21:16. > :21:19.town that we can do it. But Shrewsbury are very close to
:21:19. > :21:22.heading in the other direction. They need just one more win for
:21:22. > :21:29.automoatic promotion from League Two. They'll hope to do it at home
:21:29. > :21:32.against Dagenham and Redbridge. Cheltenham Town must use the play-
:21:32. > :21:41.off route now. But the manager's keen to keep the pressure off the
:21:41. > :21:47.players. There's no point over-emphasising
:21:47. > :21:50.things. They know what is at stake, what they want to achieve.
:21:50. > :21:53.It's a weekend when our clubs could be on the move. They'll hope it's
:21:53. > :21:56.only in an upwards direction. So a nerve wracking weekend awaits
:21:57. > :22:03.many of our clubs. You can follow every twist and turn on your BBC
:22:03. > :22:08.local radio station. Finally, some worrying news for
:22:08. > :22:10.Birmingham. They have not published their financial news again today.
:22:10. > :22:13.They could have an embargo until July.
:22:13. > :22:16.The creator of an iconic television theme tune, the man behind the
:22:16. > :22:25.legendary 2-Tone record label and an influential soul singer have all
:22:25. > :22:35.been celebrated in their home city A Gloucestershire company has
:22:35. > :22:36.
:22:36. > :22:46.managed to sell tea to China. I need a cup of tea! It exports to 45
:22:46. > :22:50.
:22:50. > :22:55.Some things never change, but if it was not for the Chinese emperor in
:22:55. > :22:57.2007 BC, things might be different. Since then, it is China that has
:22:57. > :23:01.had most of the tea market in the bag.
:23:01. > :23:05.When you think about it, nothing is so British as having a cup of tea.
:23:05. > :23:14.We have been drinking it for hundreds of years. But we can't
:23:14. > :23:19.claim that he is our own. -- that tea is our own. So can we tell --
:23:19. > :23:23.sell tea to China? This company is doing that. They
:23:23. > :23:28.produce 80 million bags per year, most of which go to places around
:23:28. > :23:34.the world. The way that the Chinese see
:23:34. > :23:39.products is different to places like Germany, France and the Middle
:23:39. > :23:44.East and Australia. We have to really focus on making sure that we
:23:44. > :23:48.have the right translation, and China is now looking at the gift of
:23:48. > :23:58.health. They want to buy healthy products.
:23:58. > :24:04.With a variety is for throat relief, it is tea with an extra kick. It is
:24:04. > :24:08.in high demand. The tourists are still lapping it up.
:24:08. > :24:14.We had a lot of Spanish a few weeks ago. We had to show them how to
:24:14. > :24:22.pour the tea. They loved it. They said they don't get anything like
:24:22. > :24:28.it in their own country. These were 16, 17 year olds. What if the
:24:28. > :24:38.Emperor could see this? Would he agree? Brother Billy yes. --
:24:38. > :24:44.
:24:44. > :24:50.That is something! Now the weather. We have certainly had a very wet
:24:50. > :24:55.month, would almost double the monthly rainfall. For this evening,
:24:55. > :25:00.it is staying cloudy and it will be a damp one ahead for most of us. We
:25:00. > :25:05.hold on to a few showers this evening. The rain will reinvigorate
:25:05. > :25:10.tonight. Eventually we see that died out towards the morning.
:25:10. > :25:15.Temperatures will dip to three of four Celsius. For this weekend, it
:25:15. > :25:20.is a weekend of two cars. It looks cloudy by drier on Saturday, and
:25:20. > :25:28.Sunday Liz very wet and we are going to see the Winslow -- Sunday
:25:28. > :25:33.looks very wet and we are going to see the winds picking up as well.
:25:33. > :25:37.It is staying cloudy for much of the day on Saturday. A very limited
:25:37. > :25:43.amount of brightness. Temperatures will peak at around 11 all 12
:25:43. > :25:47.Celsius. It will become when the two was the end of the day on
:25:47. > :25:51.Saturday. We have a band of rain sweeping across the region on
:25:51. > :25:56.Sunday. That is going to bring some wet and windy conditions. For
:25:56. > :26:00.Sunday, we have a yellow warning in place. That is for very wet
:26:00. > :26:04.conditions. It is all down to this area of low pressure coming in