:00:00. > :00:00.Monday. That is all from the
:00:00. > :00:07.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight:
:00:08. > :00:16.A murder inquiry is launched and two people arrested after a Coventry
:00:17. > :00:20.toddler dies in hospital. It always upsets me to see what a terrible
:00:21. > :00:25.world we are living in, and to think it is so close to home.
:00:26. > :00:27.Also tonight, late arrival. Birmingham's newest shopping
:00:28. > :00:31.destination at New Street Station is delayed. We'll be live inside the
:00:32. > :00:34.site. Meanwhile outside, why drivers are
:00:35. > :00:38.being hit with a ?60 fine for trying to get to the old station entrance.
:00:39. > :00:44.Why are there signs that say, no access to New Street Station right
:00:45. > :00:47.here? Cars need to know to do U`turn now.
:00:48. > :00:51."We will remember them" ` one veteran's despair at ignorance about
:00:52. > :00:54.the war among a younger generation. How life in the city inspired the
:00:55. > :01:02.Birmingham artist dubbed the modern`day Lowry.
:01:03. > :01:06.And you would never know there is something big brewing for the
:01:07. > :01:09.weekend after such a deceptively quiet day. Hear all about it in just
:01:10. > :01:20.a while. Good evening. Police have launched a
:01:21. > :01:23.murder inquiry after the death of a toddler from Coventry. The
:01:24. > :01:26.two`year`old boy died in hospital from serious head injuries on
:01:27. > :01:36.Tuesday. Two people have been arrested, as Giles Latcham reports.
:01:37. > :01:40.A tribute left by a neighbour for a little boy nobody seems to know. An
:01:41. > :01:44.ambulance was called to this street in the Stoke area at lunchtime on
:01:45. > :01:50.Monday to take the two`year`old to University Hospital. He had head
:01:51. > :01:54.injuries so serious he was quickly transferred to Birmingham Children's
:01:55. > :01:58.Hospital, where he died 24 hours later. In an area still grieving for
:01:59. > :02:06.Daniel Pelka, murdered by his mother and stepfather, the death of another
:02:07. > :02:11.young child has shocked locals. To think... It is just five minutes up
:02:12. > :02:17.the street. I can't believe... I just feel... I feel for the family
:02:18. > :02:22.that is left. It is just totally disgusting what goes on with kids
:02:23. > :02:27.these days. It is heart rendering. As a mother, you would feel... You
:02:28. > :02:31.know, it is very sad. Police say they arrested a 21`year`old man in
:02:32. > :02:36.the early hours of Tuesday morning and that was while the boy was still
:02:37. > :02:40.alive. Following his death on Tuesday lunchtime, they arrested a
:02:41. > :02:46.25`year`old woman. Both are in custody being questioned on
:02:47. > :02:48.suspicion of murder. The postmortem examination failed to identify a
:02:49. > :02:52.cause of death. Further tests are being carried out.
:02:53. > :02:58.And Giles is in Coventry for us this evening. Have you found anyone who
:02:59. > :03:04.knew the family? Very few people seem to have had much to do with the
:03:05. > :03:09.family at all in this area in North Coventry. It is a very mixed area
:03:10. > :03:13.with a lot of tenancy properties and a lot of arrivals from Eastern
:03:14. > :03:16.Europe and other parts of the world. I did speak to one resident
:03:17. > :03:21.who was reluctant to go on camera, but he said that back in July, he
:03:22. > :03:29.heard shouting from the property and a child crying. He did call the
:03:30. > :03:33.police, who did attend. It also seems the Fire Service were called
:03:34. > :03:37.to this address twice this year. The mother apparently had locked herself
:03:38. > :03:40.out with the child locked inside. Coventry City Council have released
:03:41. > :03:44.a statement in which they say they are very saddened by the death of
:03:45. > :03:52.this child but they say they did not know of this child. Social services
:03:53. > :03:56.staff had no knowledge of him. Forensics officers are inside the
:03:57. > :03:58.property this evening and the mother and father are being questioned by
:03:59. > :04:01.police. Coming up later in the programme,
:04:02. > :04:04.how an award`winning textile firm founded by a wartime refugee is
:04:05. > :04:09.being brought back to life in Stratford.
:04:10. > :04:11.It's one of Europe's most complex civil engineering projects, but
:04:12. > :04:14.Birmingham's latest shopping destination at New Street Station
:04:15. > :04:20.won't now be open in time for Christmas 2014. Grand Central, which
:04:21. > :04:24.includes a John Lewis store, will now open in 2015 ` at the same time
:04:25. > :04:30.as the rest of the re`developed station. We'll be live inside the
:04:31. > :04:33.site in a few minutes. But first, the construction means hundreds of
:04:34. > :04:36.motorists affected by changes to the road layout around the train station
:04:37. > :04:40.are facing fines of ?60 for driving along a restricted bus and taxi
:04:41. > :04:43.route. They're accusing the City Council of failing to warn them of
:04:44. > :04:51.changes and leaving them with no safe alternative, as Ben Godfrey
:04:52. > :05:02.reports. There's one, there's another, and
:05:03. > :05:04.another. Well, that is the fifth car inside five minutes that has gone
:05:05. > :05:07.down the bus and taxi lane. Confusion reigns on Smallbrook
:05:08. > :05:11.Queensway in Birmingham, and here's why. The old entrance to New Street
:05:12. > :05:15.Station has been coned off for building work. When drivers realise,
:05:16. > :05:18.they claim it's too late to turn around, and too dangerous, so they
:05:19. > :05:22.have to head straight along the restricted bus route. This is Shane
:05:23. > :05:30.Walker's first ever fine. He's appealing the ?60 charge. I was
:05:31. > :05:35.wanting to drop a college for New Street Station, giving him a lift,
:05:36. > :05:39.but how do you make a U`turn if you are in the left`hand lane with these
:05:40. > :05:47.two lanes? How do you turn around to go back? We did find one earlier
:05:48. > :05:50.opportunity for a U`turn but the size and added sticky tape on signs
:05:51. > :05:53.is causing confusion. In a statement, the City Council said
:05:54. > :05:55.signs were introduced in April informing motorists to turn left off
:05:56. > :06:00.Smallbrook Queensway onto Hill Street to approach the train
:06:01. > :06:06.station. Let's test this out. So, the advice is to turn left onto your
:06:07. > :06:11.street and not go straight on. I'm looking now and I can't see any
:06:12. > :06:19.clear diversion signs. Why aren't there signs that say" no access to
:06:20. > :06:28.New Street Station" right here? Taxi drivers have also had problems. Is
:06:29. > :06:32.as buses and taxis ten yards further down. `` the sign says buses and
:06:33. > :06:35.taxis. Tonight, the City Council wouldn't reveal how many motorists
:06:36. > :06:40.are being pursued for ?60 fines but said the penalty can be appealed.
:06:41. > :06:43.80% of the shops and restaurant areas in Birmingham's newest
:06:44. > :06:47.shopping centre above the city's New Street railway station have been let
:06:48. > :06:50.and some of them are moving outside London for the first time. Our
:06:51. > :06:55.business correspondent, Peter Plisner, has been given exclusive
:06:56. > :06:57.access to the site. Construction work on the New Street
:06:58. > :07:02.development continuing today, with work on a new car park. And here's a
:07:03. > :07:07.time`lapse movie of the John Lewis building going up over the last few
:07:08. > :07:10.months. But despite the rapid progress, the sheer weight of work
:07:11. > :07:17.that still needs to be done has meant a delay the opening of the new
:07:18. > :07:21.shopping centre and the John Lewis. Well, we have worked very closely
:07:22. > :07:25.with our partners in the Grand Central scheme and the funders of
:07:26. > :07:28.the project have agreed the opening date. It actually offers the best of
:07:29. > :07:34.what will be a really stunning product and a stunning station and a
:07:35. > :07:37.shopping centre. Grand Central was due replace the old Pallesades
:07:38. > :07:42.shopping centre late next year. But shoppers will now have to wait until
:07:43. > :07:47.the spring of 2015. In a statement, the John Lewis MD Andy Street said:
:07:48. > :07:54.We understand and support the decision. Shopping is obviously an
:07:55. > :07:59.important part of the local economy and it is very important for
:08:00. > :08:11.tourism. Quite a percentage of the money they spend is shopping, so I
:08:12. > :08:14.think it is worth waiting for. Over here, you can see the construction
:08:15. > :08:21.of the atrium, which will be the focus of the centre, meaning
:08:22. > :08:25.daylight flooding into the area. This will be completed in six weeks
:08:26. > :08:29.time and we then go on to the fabric structure for the roof itself to
:08:30. > :08:33.make the area watertight. We start the demolition of the concrete
:08:34. > :08:39.slabs, the Route slabs, in the early part of the New Year, which means
:08:40. > :08:43.taking away about 9000 cubic metres of concrete. Down below, this is
:08:44. > :08:48.what used to be the old concourse, once packed with passengers, now an
:08:49. > :08:53.underground construction site. Remember the old escalators to the
:08:54. > :08:58.shops? They're now long gone. This is what the same area looked like
:08:59. > :09:07.today. But the demolision here has taken longer because of aspestos. We
:09:08. > :09:11.were expecting some elements of asbestos in construction in the 60s
:09:12. > :09:14.so we did expect some but there is more than we anticipated. Not
:09:15. > :09:17.surprising, then, that the opening of Grand Central has now been
:09:18. > :09:20.delayed, but with some big`name stores and restaurants already
:09:21. > :09:24.signed up, most admit that it should be worth waiting for.
:09:25. > :09:28.And Peter joins us now from inside the John Lewis building. Peter, what
:09:29. > :09:34.are the big names that are going to be in the new centre? Well, John
:09:35. > :09:39.Lewis is the biggest name announced so far. You can see the escalators
:09:40. > :09:45.are already installed in the store. This will be handed over to John
:09:46. > :09:55.Lewis to fit out early next year. The White Company is another one.
:09:56. > :10:06.Another big`name, To half restaurant coming in. `` Giraffe. It is going
:10:07. > :10:14.to prove a popular destination for many shops. But is there not a
:10:15. > :10:20.danger it could suck the life out of the city centre, leaving more shops
:10:21. > :10:25.empty? Yes, we did see a lot of shops closing but since then, some
:10:26. > :10:32.have moved back out and opened additional stores. But there are
:10:33. > :10:36.strong rumours that the Pavilion Shopping Centre will be turned into
:10:37. > :10:41.a massive prime arc. That could revitalise the city centre as well.
:10:42. > :10:43.So, a lot to happen in Birmingham over the next couple of years. Thank
:10:44. > :10:46.you. Bosses at Dudley Council say they're
:10:47. > :10:51.going to have to save ?32 million more than they thought by 2017. They
:10:52. > :10:55.originally planned for ?26 million but now the total will be nearer 60,
:10:56. > :10:58.putting more than 300 jobs at risk. Meanwhile, Herefordshire Council has
:10:59. > :11:12.today launched a public consultation exercise on its plans to save ?15
:11:13. > :11:17.million by 2015. A man who carried out random knife
:11:18. > :11:21.attacks at a nightclub has been jailed for 26 years. He stabbed
:11:22. > :11:25.three men inside the club in separate attacks. He pleaded guilty
:11:26. > :11:30.to assault and possession of an offensive weapon.
:11:31. > :11:33.The Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell has welcomed the apology
:11:34. > :11:36.from three chief constables whose officers have been caught up in the
:11:37. > :11:39.plebgate scandal. Three officers from Warwickshire, West Mercia and
:11:40. > :11:43.West Midlands Police were accused of giving a misleading account of their
:11:44. > :11:49.private meeting with the MP after he was alleged to have called officers
:11:50. > :11:53.in Downing Street plebs. I'm obviously very grateful to the three
:11:54. > :11:57.chief constables for the apology which they have given to me and my
:11:58. > :12:01.family. And, as they have requested, I will be meeting with
:12:02. > :12:05.them in due course. An award`winning textile firm is
:12:06. > :12:08.about to come back to life creating new jobs. It was founded by Tibor
:12:09. > :12:12.Reich, who fled Hungary just before the outbreak of the Second World
:12:13. > :12:15.War. He set up shop in Stratford`upon`Avon and now his
:12:16. > :12:22.grandson is about to get the business going again Joanne Writtle
:12:23. > :12:26.reports. This man ran his iconic textile
:12:27. > :12:31.design house here at Clifford Mill in Stratford`upon`Avon in the 1950s
:12:32. > :12:36.and 60s, taking photographs outdoors which inspired his fabric designs.
:12:37. > :12:43.The loveliness of nature lies where you find it, in every river and
:12:44. > :12:47.every tree. The Millwood sold in the 1970s and is now used as offices and
:12:48. > :12:52.apartments, but he famously said nature designs best and liked to use
:12:53. > :12:58.the outdoors in Warwickshire and the Cotswolds for ideas for his fabric
:12:59. > :13:04.designs. 35 years after the business closed, his grandson and some are
:13:05. > :13:09.relaunching it. 1950s was the birth of British modernism. Designs were
:13:10. > :13:17.so instrumental in bringing about what we now see as contemporary
:13:18. > :13:21.design. The Hungarian designed fabrics for many businesses,
:13:22. > :13:26.including Concorde, becoming a leading textile designer. This was
:13:27. > :13:31.designed and used in the QE2 in the 1950s. And this was presented to
:13:32. > :13:40.Princess Elizabeth for her wedding present. The new business will run
:13:41. > :13:43.from here. When it was built, it had a lot of press coverage and
:13:44. > :13:48.particularly the fireplace, which was based on an onion. Journalists
:13:49. > :13:54.picked up on the fact that they either love it or hated it. The
:13:55. > :13:57.Cotswolds was home to the former Gordon Russell furniture factory.
:13:58. > :14:05.Now an exhibition features the work and that of other leading designers.
:14:06. > :14:09.Something have all is not `` admired is the infectious enthusiasm for
:14:10. > :14:14.what they are doing. In the world of design, you really have to believe
:14:15. > :14:18.in what you are doing. And, boy, did that come through! And back in
:14:19. > :14:22.Stratford, the family are just as passionate about their new venture,
:14:23. > :14:29.relaunching their family's iconic designs in the Midlands.
:14:30. > :14:32.Our top story, a murder inquiry is launched and two people arrested
:14:33. > :14:36.after a Coventry toddler dies in hospital.
:14:37. > :14:38.Shefali will have the detailed weather forecast shortly.
:14:39. > :14:42.Also ahead, international football glamour comes to Shropshire and
:14:43. > 0:07:48Staffordshire. Telford and Burton`upon`Trent to host Under 17s
0:07:49 > 0:07:48women's matches next month. And street scenes and childhood
0:07:49 > 0:07:48memories ` the Midlands artist dubbed a modern`day Lowry.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48If you have a story you think we should be covering on Midlands
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Today, we'd like to hear from you. Over the next few weeks, around 40
0:07:49 > 0:07:48million poppies will be sold across the country in support of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48ex`servicemen and women. And in Rugby this morning, former soldiers
0:07:49 > 0:07:48and dignitaries joined with schoolchildren to mark the official
0:07:49 > 0:07:48launch of the Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull appeal. Our reporter
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Sarah Falkland is at the Peace Garden in Birmingham tonight. So,
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Sarah, how important is the Poppy Appeal here in the Midlands?
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Well, it is crucial. When you think that the British Legion supports
0:07:49 > 0:07:48thousands of ex`servicemen and women in the region alone. It is their
0:07:49 > 0:07:48biggest fundraiser. This year, what is release special is that there
0:07:49 > 0:07:48will be a Birmingham Poppy Day. London have done this for some time.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48`` what is really special. In London, they raised ?8,000 in one
0:07:49 > 0:07:48day and they hope to replicate that in Birmingham. I was at the launch
0:07:49 > 0:07:48of the Coventry, Warwickshrie and Solihull appeal in Rugby this
0:07:49 > 0:07:48morning. As the Lord Lieutenant of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Warwickshire said, "whoever ordered the weather ` very well done!" And
0:07:49 > 0:07:48if the autumnal sunshine wasn't enough to lift spirits in Rugby's
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Caldecott Park, there was the Lawrence Sheriff Grammar School
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Choir. Only for 96`year`old Harry Walker,
0:07:49 > 0:07:48there wasn't much to smile about in occupied Europe. Eyes shall not
0:07:49 > 0:07:48weary them, nor the years condemn, with the going down of the sun and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48in the morning, we will remember them. And that brings a lump in your
0:07:49 > 0:07:48throat. It really does. As a Battery Sergeant Major with the artillery,
0:07:49 > 0:07:48he came to the fighting fields late on. Even now, he won't speak of the
0:07:49 > 0:07:48horrors he saw. But he's disturbed by what he sees as an ignorance
0:07:49 > 0:07:48about the two big wars among today's youth. They don't know the reason
0:07:49 > 0:07:48why thousands of soldiers got killed. And that troubles me. The
0:07:49 > 0:07:48target is to raise ?37,000,000... Donations were down last year for
0:07:49 > 0:07:48the first time. They put it down to it being their 90th anniversary.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Even so, the total raised here was ?3.9 million in the Midlands. That's
0:07:49 > 0:07:48partly down to dedicated fund`raising of the British Legion
0:07:49 > 0:07:48riders, many of them ex servicemen. There really should not be a need
0:07:49 > 0:07:48for The Royal British Legion. The country should look after the guys
0:07:49 > 0:07:48and gals who come back. But, as it is, it is donations, isn't it? And
0:07:49 > 0:07:48it is the public to give us those donations. William. `` brilliant.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Harry Walker is still married to his beloved wife, still driving a car,
0:07:49 > 0:07:48still walking. He's never asked for support from the legion. He's too
0:07:49 > 0:07:48busy helping out. So, poppies available from now right
0:07:49 > 0:07:48up until November the 11th, which is, of course, Armistice Day, and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Birmingham's first Poppy Day will be the 5th of November. A date for your
0:07:49 > 0:07:48diary. It's one of the most important
0:07:49 > 0:07:48tournaments in the development of women's football across Europe. And
0:07:49 > 0:07:48this year, it's coming to Staffordshire and Shropshire. The FA
0:07:49 > 0:07:48hope the Under 17 Championships will also strengthen the England team of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48the future, as Nick Clitheroe reports.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48It had everything you would expect a major tournament draw to have but we
0:07:49 > 0:07:48weren't at UEFA HQ in Switzerland. Because European football's elite
0:07:49 > 0:07:48had moved to Burton town hall for the launch of the women's under 17
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Championships. Staging this championship is a great coup for the
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Midlands. It is the first time it has ever taken place outside their
0:07:49 > 0:07:48headquarters in Switzerland. It is a great chance to show UEFA we are
0:07:49 > 0:07:48capable of putting on such a tournament and that will help us
0:07:49 > 0:07:48because it will help us in years to come to attract further tournaments.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Burton Albion will host 12 matches. The honour of hosting the opening
0:07:49 > 0:07:48game falls to Telford United. We have hosted international games
0:07:49 > 0:07:48before but never a tournament, so this is a first for us. The
0:07:49 > 0:07:48organisers hope the tournament will get more girls involved in football.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Schools will be given free tickets. It is really good to have the
0:07:49 > 0:07:48tournament here because the young girls and boys in the community will
0:07:49 > 0:07:48have a great chance to watch some of these young talents and possible
0:07:49 > 0:07:48stars of the future. But at this primary School in Burton, enthusiasm
0:07:49 > 0:07:48is overwhelming. Irony enjoyed it and I think I've got better after
0:07:49 > 0:07:48today. `` I really enjoy it. England want to win the tournament, of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48course, but it is also about guaranteeing a bright future for the
0:07:49 > 0:07:48women's team. An archaeological dig has started at
0:07:49 > 0:07:48a Shropshire beauty spot to try to uncover more about the town's
0:07:49 > 0:07:48industrial past. Volunteers are excavating a site where workers
0:07:49 > 0:07:48cottages once stood in Telford Park, as Bob Hockenhull reports.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48What lies beneath this corner of Telford town park? This team of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48archaeologists want to unlock secrets of the town's industrial
0:07:49 > 0:07:48past. They are excavating the site where six 19th`century stone
0:07:49 > 0:07:48cottages stood until the 1960s. This site itself is very interesting
0:07:49 > 0:07:48because the houses were pretty much completely demolished, so there is
0:07:49 > 0:07:48no evidence of it on the surface. So we don't know exactly where Stone
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Grove is, which is why we have taken the approach of putting in a series
0:07:49 > 0:07:48of test pits. But the houses were laid out in the medieval period so
0:07:49 > 0:07:48if we find evidence, we are looking at preindustrial Telford, and that
0:07:49 > 0:07:48is opening up the story even more for the town clerk. Today, the park
0:07:49 > 0:07:48is an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of a busy town, but it was
0:07:49 > 0:07:48once a vast industrial area. There were tramlines and factories. This
0:07:49 > 0:07:48chimney is what is left of the Ironworks, which was once the second
0:07:49 > 0:07:48biggest producer of iron in the country. The residents may have
0:07:49 > 0:07:48worked here and it is a great example of the park's industrial
0:07:49 > 0:07:48heritage. Volunteers are helping with the lottery funded it, which
0:07:49 > 0:07:48will last until Sunday. I think Telford has this common perception
0:07:49 > 0:07:48that it started in the 60s, but actually there were communities and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48buildings well before that. So I think a lot of people will be
0:07:49 > 0:07:48interested to see what is here. People don't realise those trees
0:07:49 > 0:07:48might hide something interesting. But what it also means is a lot of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48digging and mud and getting cold and wet! One find today, this worked
0:07:49 > 0:07:48flint, which could be historical. After 16 years of professional
0:07:49 > 0:07:48painting, Birmingham artist Paul Horton is making his debut in a
0:07:49 > 0:07:48museum. The contemporary artist has gone back to Birmingham Museum and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Art Gallery to showcase 80 new paintings and he's given our arts
0:07:49 > 0:07:48reporter, Satnam Rana, a guided tour of his work.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Each picture tells a story. A story left our imagination. But each
0:07:49 > 0:07:48picture is a reflection of Paul Horton's growing up in Birmingham. I
0:07:49 > 0:07:48think it made me feel was a person with the values that go along with
0:07:49 > 0:07:48the work, and I think it is to show your formative years through your
0:07:49 > 0:07:48artwork and the journey that you then go on and it has become release
0:07:49 > 0:07:48significant to me and resonates with people from a similar background. It
0:07:49 > 0:07:48has taken two years to create 80 original works at this museum and it
0:07:49 > 0:07:48is here where Paul fell in love with art. From an early age, I was lucky
0:07:49 > 0:07:48enough to have a lot teacher who gave me support and described me,
0:07:49 > 0:07:48one eye was 13, as drawing like a Pre`Raphaelite, which simply here to
0:07:49 > 0:07:48the gallery for me to study and be inspired by these wonderful
0:07:49 > 0:07:48creators. Now his pastoral and charcoal work is a signature
0:07:49 > 0:07:48technique but his characters are borne out of a visit to the now
0:07:49 > 0:07:48closed puppet Theatre at the Midlands arts Centre in 1986. I felt
0:07:49 > 0:07:48it was like a lost world and I wanted to breed `` breathe life into
0:07:49 > 0:07:48it. What does he make of being compared to Lowry? Well, as soon as
0:07:49 > 0:07:48the limited edition prints went out across the UK, the public said, he
0:07:49 > 0:07:48is like a modern day Lowry. He is the most popular of all British
0:07:49 > 0:07:48artist and I feel extremely proud that they compare my work to his.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48But over the last 16 years, Paul has developed his own distinctive
0:07:49 > 0:07:48style. The exhibition is a celebration of this, which runs
0:07:49 > 0:07:48until Sunday and is Paul's way of giving something back to his home
0:07:49 > 0:07:48city and its people. Really striking.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48A glorious autumn day. You warned us of something big brewing. I am
0:07:49 > 0:07:48worried! You should be. I don't think we will
0:07:49 > 0:07:48see a repeat of today's weather. You can take it from me that today has
0:07:49 > 0:07:48really been the calm before the storm. Now, from the pressure
0:07:49 > 0:07:48chart, that tells the story quite graphically. It is not short on
0:07:49 > 0:07:48drama. We have all of these weather fronts piling in one after the
0:07:49 > 0:07:48other, the first of which comes in tonight, and the others, which
0:07:49 > 0:07:48coming over the weekend. The weekend is looking like this. We start off
0:07:49 > 0:07:48on a dry note on Saturday and quite bright as well, but then it starts
0:07:49 > 0:07:48to turn very wet and and everything goes downhill. Sunshine on Sunday
0:07:49 > 0:07:48but the wind will strengthen and the windiest period of all is going to
0:07:49 > 0:07:48be the early hours of Monday morning in too much of Monday. The Met
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Office is warning of potentially damaging winds coupled with heavy
0:07:49 > 0:07:48rain, which could lead to localised flooding. Back to this evening, and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48we start with lots of dry weather but plenty of cloud. This is all
0:07:49 > 0:07:48thickening up from the south`west ahead of that very active system
0:07:49 > 0:07:48coming up from that direction. This will arrive during the early hours
0:07:49 > 0:07:48and stretch right through, so a wet and windy end the night with gusts
0:07:49 > 0:07:48of 40 to 50 miles an hour, with temperatures at 11 or 12. That will
0:07:49 > 0:07:48be double last night's values, so a much milder night, even though it is
0:07:49 > 0:07:48wet and windy. The rain will scoot along quite quickly so by the end of
0:07:49 > 0:07:48the morning things should be clearing, so by the afternoon, and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48much drier picture across all parts. There will be plenty of sunshine and
0:07:49 > 0:07:48if you are in the shot of the wind, which, again, will be quite strong,
0:07:49 > 0:07:48it should feel mild. `` the shelter. A much drier picture tomorrow
0:07:49 > 0:07:48afternoon and evening, but over the weekend, turning nasty.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48Tonight's headlines from the BBC. The Portuguese police re`open their
0:07:49 > 0:07:48investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48One in four hospitals in England is in danger of providing poor care to
0:07:49 > 0:07:48patients, so says the watchdog. A murder inquiry is launched and two
0:07:49 > 0:07:48people arrested after a Coventry toddler dies in hospital.
0:07:49 > 0:07:48And car fine confusion ` drivers landed with a
0:07:49 > 0:07:48That was the Midlands Today. I'll be back at 10pm, when we'll hear an
0:07:49 > 0:07:48emotional appeal from the mother of a man shot dead outside a Birmingham
0:07:49 > 0:07:49night club. Goodbye.