:00:00. > :00:07.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: 22 years
:00:08. > :00:11.after she went missing in Coventry, three people are arrested over the
:00:12. > :00:14.disappearance of Nicola Payne. We'll be hearing what the family
:00:15. > :00:17.have to say about this latest development after more than two
:00:18. > :00:21.decades of torment. Also tonight: Plans for a second
:00:22. > :00:24.runway at Birmingham Airport are put on hold for nearly 40 years as
:00:25. > :00:33.expansion's recommended at Heathrow or Gatwick.
:00:34. > :00:37.We would like Birmingham to grow but we don't think it is likely to be
:00:38. > :00:40.the solution to the problem of command in London and the
:00:41. > :00:43.south`east. As the construction industry gets
:00:44. > :00:46.moving again, bosses warn of a "skills time bomb" ` not enough
:00:47. > :00:49.young people are being trained. Celebrating with concerts just a few
:00:50. > :00:52.hundred yards apart, the bands that brought us two of our best loved
:00:53. > :01:02.Christmas songs exactly 40 years ago. It has become and injuring
:01:03. > :01:07.thing for the public. We are part of people's Christmas. `` in during the
:01:08. > :01:10.thing. And a photograph today of calm and
:01:11. > :01:15.serenity at Millennium Park in King's Norton. But there's a storm
:01:16. > :01:20.brewing and it's heading our way soon.
:01:21. > :01:23.Good evening. Police investigating the disappearance of a young mother
:01:24. > :01:29.22 years ago have arrested two men on suspicion of her abduction and
:01:30. > :01:32.murder. Nicola Payne was 18 when she went missing after she set off to
:01:33. > :01:36.walk to her parents' home in Coventry in December, 1991. Joan
:01:37. > :01:47.Cummins is in Coventry now, close to where Nicola was last seen alive.
:01:48. > :01:54.What more do you know about the arrests? What we know is that these
:01:55. > :01:59.two men are both 49, were arrested early this morning at addresses in
:02:00. > :02:03.the city. We understand that detectives are also questioning at
:02:04. > :02:11.51`year`old woman on of perverting the course of justice. Nicola
:02:12. > :02:16.disappeared in the area behind me 22 years ago this weekend.
:02:17. > :02:19.Nicola Payne was a young mother with a baby and her whole life ahead of
:02:20. > :02:26.her when to disappeared in December, 1991. Despite a massive
:02:27. > :02:32.search, police reconstructions and numerous searches around the city
:02:33. > :02:36.over the last 22 years, Nicola's whereabouts have remained a
:02:37. > :02:43.mystery. Speaking just days after she first went missing, her mother
:02:44. > :02:48.said she feared the worst. I feel she is lying dead somewhere, I
:02:49. > :02:55.really do. Everybody says it's wrong, but I believe it. Nicola
:02:56. > :03:00.disappeared on this path on a foggy day in 1991. Today, her father spoke
:03:01. > :03:07.to the BBC and he said they're not their hopes up. They've been here
:03:08. > :03:10.before. But they still remain optimistic that finally they will
:03:11. > :03:16.find out the truth about their daughter. Today's arrests at a
:03:17. > :03:20.number of addresses in the city has been keenly followed by people in
:03:21. > :03:28.the community who now Nicola's family and once the mystery is
:03:29. > :03:33.solved forever. At Christmas it is different because it is a part of
:03:34. > :03:38.the year that everybody is getting ready and they think, how does my
:03:39. > :03:46.mum feel? We are a community and we feel for our own. Most people are
:03:47. > :03:54.shocked by her disappearance. People in the area she lived were shocked
:03:55. > :03:58.to say the least. We are trying to build up the confidence of people in
:03:59. > :04:08.that area. The police reveal that a number of items are being analysed
:04:09. > :04:13.using cutting edge technology. We can't begin to imagine how difficult
:04:14. > :04:18.this continues to be fun Nicola's parents. Have they said anything
:04:19. > :04:21.about today's development? Today the family have said they don't want to
:04:22. > :04:26.do any television interviews. Speaking to the BBC on the phone,
:04:27. > :04:31.her father said this was obviously a difficult time for the entire
:04:32. > :04:35.family. He said the police had been keeping them informed of every
:04:36. > :04:39.development. But there was a word of caution. He said there have been
:04:40. > :04:48.arrests before and nothing happened. Now they simply want to know what
:04:49. > :04:51.happened to Nicola Payne. Coming up later in the programme:
:04:52. > :04:54.The Premier League footballers delivering Christmas cheer on a
:04:55. > :05:01.hospital ward as their club continues the search for a new head
:05:02. > :05:04.coach. Plans for a second runway at
:05:05. > :05:07.Birmingham to expand UK airport capacity are tonight on hold. New
:05:08. > :05:10.runways at Heathrow and Gatwick are among the options that have been
:05:11. > :05:13.short listed instead by the Airports Commission. In a moment we'll be
:05:14. > :05:16.talking to Birmingham Airport's chief executive and a West Midlands
:05:17. > :05:21.business leader. But first here's Ben Godfrey.
:05:22. > :05:24.Passengers arriving at Birmingham Airport today caught a glimpse of
:05:25. > :05:29.its runway extension, close to completion. But you won't see them
:05:30. > :05:34.turning the soil for a second runway until at least 2050, if at all. The
:05:35. > :05:37.Government`appointed Davies Commission wants to restrict further
:05:38. > :05:46.growth here for now in favour of expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick
:05:47. > :05:49.airports. We would like Birmingham to grow but we don't think it is
:05:50. > :05:54.likely to be the solution to the problem of demand in London and the
:05:55. > :05:56.South East. If there's any bitterness,
:05:57. > :05:59.Birmingham Airport isn't showing it. Today they described their role as
:06:00. > :06:03.an integral piece of the long`term aviation puzzle. What's puzzling to
:06:04. > :06:13.some is that a second runway's needed at all. The need for a second
:06:14. > :06:18.runway is only so it is a kind of like a motorway where you can use
:06:19. > :06:24.the hard shoulder in a rush hour. It is there to help the airport to get
:06:25. > :06:29.traffic for these mythical business flights. It is not going to happen.
:06:30. > :06:31.Each year, nine million passengers pass through Birmingham Airport.
:06:32. > :06:35.When the new runway extension's completed in April, it will create
:06:36. > :06:38.capacity for 36 million passengers a year. The airport says a second
:06:39. > :06:41.runway would bring 70 million passengers and support 250,000 jobs.
:06:42. > :06:44.Last year the airport was given special permission to display the
:06:45. > :06:48.Olympic rings on its new control tower. It symbolised a desire to
:06:49. > :06:58.switch from regional hub to international gateway. This is a
:06:59. > :07:04.city in growth mode. We are seeing record numbers of visitors. The key
:07:05. > :07:06.is that had we been high up the priorities it might have accelerated
:07:07. > :07:08.the process. Local businesses are also
:07:09. > :07:10.frustrated. This automotive parts supplier says
:07:11. > :07:16.further airport expansion would boost their business in long
:07:17. > :07:20.distance destinations like Malaysia. You always feel that Birmingham is
:07:21. > :07:24.left behind. We are the second city, and you would think there would be
:07:25. > :07:27.more support for us in the UK economy.
:07:28. > :07:33.In the Commons this afternoon, local MPs queued up to question the
:07:34. > :07:38.Transport Secretary. People in the West Midlands will be staggered they
:07:39. > :07:44.have got to wait until 2050 before any consideration will be given to
:07:45. > :07:49.its expansion. There is more availability at Birmingham airport.
:07:50. > :07:51.I want to see the airport able to prosper along the lines of other
:07:52. > :07:55.airports. Last month, a new aircraft hangar
:07:56. > :07:58.opened here, creating 150 new jobs. And tonight the leader of Birmingham
:07:59. > :08:01.City Council is claiming the commission has failed to acknowledge
:08:02. > :08:10.this region's potential for aviation growth.
:08:11. > :08:15.Joining us from our studio in London this evening is Paul Kehoe, chief
:08:16. > :08:25.executive of Birmingham Airport. Good evening. Can you put time into
:08:26. > :08:30.lobbying for expansion and not be disappointed? I welcome the report
:08:31. > :08:35.because many of the things in it, we suggested. This was a 100 year
:08:36. > :08:40.option. He certainly put us in the middle of that at 2050. We
:08:41. > :08:44.originally said that 2037 was the earliest we wanted to consider
:08:45. > :08:50.building another runway. So we are not far within the time frame is
:08:51. > :08:58.micro`timeframe. `` within the time frame. Businesses and MPs are
:08:59. > :09:03.disappointed. I just putting a brave face on it? Now, because we know
:09:04. > :09:09.that Birmingham has got the right ingredients. I have never worked at
:09:10. > :09:12.an airport where we have got such support. I'm convinced we have got
:09:13. > :09:17.all the ingredients to make this work. The new hangar, the new
:09:18. > :09:22.control tower, and from next year the new extension. Halfway down the
:09:23. > :09:25.years, we are going to get HS2 as well. We are already the best
:09:26. > :09:32.connected airport in the country. I am still hopeful, and why? It is a
:09:33. > :09:37.big world. It does all seem to be about London and the south`east
:09:38. > :09:42.again. A lot of people in London can't see beyond the M25. But it is
:09:43. > :09:46.a two horse race now. There are eggs in a couple of baskets, he threw all
:09:47. > :09:51.Gatwick. The problems at Heathrow are so great that it is likely to be
:09:52. > :10:02.Gatwick. That supports an opportunity in Birmingham. But 2050
:10:03. > :10:05.is so far off. In 2003, we were talking of 2035. These are long`term
:10:06. > :10:11.investments. We are talking of infrastructure for over 150 years.
:10:12. > :10:15.I'm not surprised they are looking so far ahead. You don't consider
:10:16. > :10:22.cracking on yourself with an extra runway? Now, we wanted to preserve
:10:23. > :10:27.that option for the future. We have got four times the availability. We
:10:28. > :10:33.can create thousands of jobs in the next few years from our own growth.
:10:34. > :10:36.What we were hoping for was a bit of acceleration, perhaps bringing the
:10:37. > :10:41.future forward. We haven't got that. It is business as usual at
:10:42. > :10:44.Birmingham airport. We have got some great assets to deploy.
:10:45. > :10:48.Well, what about the impact on the West Midlands economy? I'm joined in
:10:49. > :10:53.the studio by Jerry Blackett, chief executive of the Greater Birmingham
:10:54. > :10:59.Chamber of Commerce. What do you think of this report? I would echo
:11:00. > :11:04.what Paul has said. It is a 230 page report. Read the detail, the fact
:11:05. > :11:08.they are not committed to a single hub, these are things we have been
:11:09. > :11:14.lobbying for. But it is very south`east and London centric. It is
:11:15. > :11:17.muddled thinking. On the one hand, government is talking ambitiously
:11:18. > :11:22.about rebalancing. It is putting down high`speed rail plans. It has a
:11:23. > :11:26.30 year view of what kind of country this could be, what kind of economy
:11:27. > :11:32.we could have. On the other hand, the airport vision is lacking. It
:11:33. > :11:37.doesn't tie into a clear view of what the cities outside of London
:11:38. > :11:41.could be going. We know we have got great economies, great cities.
:11:42. > :11:46.Aviation is key to it. We do have some more work today. But this is
:11:47. > :11:52.only an interim report. We have still got more time to convince the
:11:53. > :11:56.elite in London that indeed investing outside of London is
:11:57. > :12:01.critical if we are serious about rebalancing the UK away from this
:12:02. > :12:05.huge dependency on London and the south`east. We want London and the
:12:06. > :12:12.south`east to prosper. But we're not making the most of our great cities.
:12:13. > :12:16.Coming back to HS2, if it were to happen, the distance between London
:12:17. > :12:24.and Birmingham airport would be about 38 minutes. That is less than
:12:25. > :12:30.two Gatwick. Indeed. We're winning the rational argument, I think. It
:12:31. > :12:36.just seems again that Birmingham and the Midlands is being overlooked.
:12:37. > :12:43.Not for the first time. It is a long game. Are very long game! Let's
:12:44. > :12:45.remember that we have won some things that we have won something
:12:46. > :12:51.silly and sounds of the government's determination to move
:12:52. > :12:56.away from a single hub error `` we have won something today in terms of
:12:57. > :13:01.the government's determination to move away from a single hub airport.
:13:02. > :13:10.We will convince London and the south`east to follow our story.
:13:11. > :13:13.Thank you. The Heart of England NHS Trust has
:13:14. > :13:16.breached its licence by forcing patients to wait too long in
:13:17. > :13:19.accident and emergency. The trust is now legally obliged to find ways of
:13:20. > :13:28.improving its performance by bringing in expert help from
:13:29. > :13:31.elsewhere. The region's construction industry
:13:32. > :13:33.is warning of a skills time bomb, with two thirds of contractors in
:13:34. > :13:36.Birmingham struggling to recruit young workers. The construction
:13:37. > :13:39.industry training board says a new generation need to be made more
:13:40. > :13:42.aware of the opportunities in building. Sarah Falkland reports.
:13:43. > :13:45.Parkgate, the latest addition to Shirley High Street. Shops,
:13:46. > :13:53.restaurants and homes. It's all cost ?85 million. The construction
:13:54. > :14:00.industry is on the up again. Thereon more jobs to be had. Nearly 20% of
:14:01. > :14:04.the British workforce is set to retire in the next decade. 68% of
:14:05. > :14:08.contractors here in Birmingham say they are struggling to recruit.
:14:09. > :14:12.Which is why Vasile, who's from Romania, is among the 300 strong
:14:13. > :14:17.workforce here. He has his own ideas as to why young British people might
:14:18. > :14:21.not want to work in construction. They don't like it because it is
:14:22. > :14:24.outside. Most of the time may you outside. Maybe it is difficult for
:14:25. > :14:27.them. So JCB has joined forces with the
:14:28. > :14:30.construction training board and embarked on a skills drive. This
:14:31. > :14:38.industry expert says there's a lot up for grabs. Birmingham, as a
:14:39. > :14:42.centre itself, has plans of ?17 billion of construction projects for
:14:43. > :14:50.the next 5`10 years. The library is just the tip of the iceberg. Within
:14:51. > :14:52.those, we can create up to 1000 apprenticeships over the next few
:14:53. > :15:01.years. 12`year`old Tiger`Leigh's convinced.
:15:02. > :15:04.He's on a pilot project at Greenwood Academy in Castle Vale, which offers
:15:05. > :15:06.construction classes to pupils who've had difficulties at school.
:15:07. > :15:10.Back at Parkgate, the project manager's confident that the 'skills
:15:11. > :15:18.time bomb' feared by some won't go off. The workforce is out there. It
:15:19. > :15:20.is about getting out onto the site and learning the trade. It is not in
:15:21. > :15:24.a textbook. No staff shortages here ` the
:15:25. > :15:31.project's on schedule for its spring opening.
:15:32. > :15:35.Our top story tonight: 22 years after she went missing in Coventry,
:15:36. > :15:38.three people are arrested over the disappearance of Nicola Payne.
:15:39. > :15:40.Shefali will be along shortly with the detailed weather forecast for
:15:41. > :15:46.the Midlands. Also ahead: The only British boxer
:15:47. > :15:48.to have landed an amateur world title ` can he land the pro title
:15:49. > :16:06.too? West Bromwich Albion's hunt for a
:16:07. > :16:09.new head coach after the departure of Steve Clarke continues this
:16:10. > :16:11.evening, with Gianfranco Zola, who resigned as manager as Watford
:16:12. > :16:14.yesterday, the new bookies' favourite. But life goes on at the
:16:15. > :16:17.Hawthorns, and today the club delivered some festive cheer to
:16:18. > :16:20.hospital patients in the Black Country. Here's Dan Pallett.
:16:21. > :16:25.What a moment for six`year`old Subhan Ali. He'd left the ward for
:16:26. > :16:33.an X`ray and returned to find four of his Albion heroes waiting for
:16:34. > :16:40.him. He has now got a better reason to skip his daily wash. Yes, the
:16:41. > :16:43.patients on the children's ward at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital were
:16:44. > :16:48.full of Christmas cheer today. People like Sam Taylor and his Dad
:16:49. > :16:53.Andrew were thrilled. Amazing! It has made your day, your year. Yeah.
:16:54. > :16:57.It is going to be the best Christmas.
:16:58. > :17:01.But there was one thing missing. The club photo still shows Steve Clarke
:17:02. > :17:06.at the helm, but he was sacked on Saturday and that's affected the
:17:07. > :17:11.squad. It has been a massive influence to me. Coming to the later
:17:12. > :17:17.stage of my career, I am looking to doing my coaching badges. I am
:17:18. > :17:20.looking to go forward. The last 18 months, he has been a massive
:17:21. > :17:24.influence. Gianfranco Zola has emerged as a bookies' favourite to
:17:25. > :17:28.replace Clarke. But whoever takes over now has a battle on just to
:17:29. > :17:33.keep the Baggies in the top flight. At the moment we have got to get out
:17:34. > :17:39.of the position we are in. It is all well and good talking about top half
:17:40. > :17:43.finishes, but at this moment we are in a fight with half the Premier
:17:44. > :17:47.League to get into that top half. We need to get out of the position we
:17:48. > :17:50.are in. I don't think we can look ahead any further.
:17:51. > :17:55.It's going to be in interesting festive period at the Hawthorns. But
:17:56. > :18:00.today they showed they haven't forgotten what Christmas is really
:18:01. > :18:04.about. So what's the mood of West Brom fans
:18:05. > :18:07.tonight? Dan is downstairs here at the Mailbox in the BBC WM radio
:18:08. > :18:16.studio for the football phone`in with Paul Franks and Hawthorns
:18:17. > :18:21.favourite Richard Sneekes. What are they saying? The debate is raging.
:18:22. > :18:25.West Bromwich Albion and the sacking of Steve Clarke is dominating. Port
:18:26. > :18:35.is on air. Let's have a quick talk with Paul. What the fans been
:18:36. > :18:39.saying? It is very mixed. Some are saying it was wrong to get rid of
:18:40. > :18:45.Clark. Others are saying it is fine, the calendar results have not
:18:46. > :18:52.been good. But now, with four key games coming up, they are saying,
:18:53. > :18:56.well, who are we going to get? Whoever comes in as head coach has
:18:57. > :18:59.got to work with the same group of players. Quite a few fans are saying
:19:00. > :19:04.there is an imbalance within the squad. So, no managers spend on who
:19:05. > :19:15.is going to come to the hawthorns, Richard? Gem Franco Zola, to be
:19:16. > :19:23.frank. `` GN Franco. They would like to see somebody like that. They will
:19:24. > :19:29.need somebody experienced as an assistant, somebody who has been at
:19:30. > :19:37.the mission manager. `` a premiership manager. And he is the
:19:38. > :19:42.favourite, and the head coach. He is. He has just resigned at
:19:43. > :19:48.Watford. The football he would like to play is the kind of football West
:19:49. > :19:52.Brom fans would like to say. They want to act fast because there is a
:19:53. > :19:55.lot of games coming up. And the football phone`in continues
:19:56. > :19:59.on BBC WM until seven o'clock. Birmingham's Frankie Gavin has a
:20:00. > :20:03.unique place among British boxers. He's the only Briton ever to win an
:20:04. > :20:06.amateur world title, but in 2014 Frankie plans to become a
:20:07. > :20:10.professional world champion as well. And the next step on that path comes
:20:11. > :20:13.in Leeds this weekend, when he defends his Commonwealth title. Just
:20:14. > :20:18.a warning, Nick Clitheroe's report contains flashing images.
:20:19. > :20:23.It's only when you get this close to a boxer that you see just how hard
:20:24. > :20:26.they hit. I wouldn't want to get in the ring with Frankie Gavin. Plenty
:20:27. > :20:30.of his potential opponents might not fancy it, either. So that's why he's
:20:31. > :20:39.having to be patient as he waits for the world title shot he craves. I'm
:20:40. > :20:44.not in boxing for the fame. I am in it to be the best in the world. The
:20:45. > :20:50.more you know and the more money you earn, which is good because I have a
:20:51. > :20:53.family, but rather I would win war titles.
:20:54. > :20:55.As an amateur, Frankie was world and Commonwealth champion. But there
:20:56. > :20:59.were disappointments, too. He missed out on the Beijing Olympics because
:21:00. > :21:06.of problems making the weight. But since turning pro there have been 17
:21:07. > :21:09.straight wins, 12 of them knockouts. If we are standing here in 12
:21:10. > :21:19.months, we will be talking about him as world champion? Definitely.
:21:20. > :21:22.Within 18 months. But it is also about money, politics and the right
:21:23. > :21:24.man in the right place at the right time.
:21:25. > :21:28.Former world champion Amir Khan is a potential target, but whoever steps
:21:29. > :21:35.into the ring with Gavin faces a man with utter determination. I hate
:21:36. > :21:39.losing. Even if I am playing with my five`year`old stun on the computer,
:21:40. > :21:51.if he is winning, I will turn his pad off!
:21:52. > :21:55.Future opponents have been warned. In 1973, Wizzard and Slade were two
:21:56. > :21:58.of the biggest bands in the country, one from Birmingham, the other from
:21:59. > :22:01.up the road in Wolverhampton, and both battling it out in December for
:22:02. > :22:05.the highly prized Christmas number one. 40 years on, and with both
:22:06. > :22:08.songs now Christmas classics, the battle resumed as both acts last
:22:09. > :22:11.night played live at different venues in Birmingham, a couple of
:22:12. > :22:13.hundred yards apart. Ben Sidwell had tickets for both. There is some
:22:14. > :22:23.flash photography in this report. It was the night that Christmas 1973
:22:24. > :22:30.returned to Birmingham. It is bringing the knee back to my youth.
:22:31. > :22:38.`` bringing me. Almagro I had posters on my wall. I can't believe
:22:39. > :22:41.40 years has gone. It is shocking. 40 years ago Slade and Wizzard, led
:22:42. > :22:46.by singer Roy Wood, dominated the UK singles chart. Between them in 1973
:22:47. > :22:47.they had five number ones and released two of the biggest
:22:48. > :23:09.Christmas hits of all time. When I wrote it, I didn't even think
:23:10. > :23:23.it might still be around. People say, do you get fed up of it? I say,
:23:24. > :23:34.no way, it is wonderful. 40 years on and they are still packing them in.
:23:35. > :23:35.Down the road, the man responsible for that other song is playing here
:23:36. > :23:53.at the Symphony Hall. I can still remember the day we
:23:54. > :23:59.recorded. It was the summer of 1973 in the `` New York. It was 100
:24:00. > :24:05.degrees outside. They thought we were crazy English men. Neither of
:24:06. > :24:09.us knew the other one was doing a Christmas song. Strange. Any other
:24:10. > :24:13.year, it would have been great. In the end Slade won the chart
:24:14. > :24:15.battle and got the Christmas number one. From humble beginnings in
:24:16. > :24:24.Walsall, 'Merry Xmas Everybody' is now thought to have been heard by
:24:25. > :24:28.42% of the world's population. I keep thinking, everybody must have
:24:29. > :24:37.this record by now! How does it keep on selling? Well, more people keep
:24:38. > :24:42.getting born. I am 26 and I the song. It has got us in the mood to
:24:43. > :24:49.party. Our kids are six and seven and they love it. So it's bands the
:24:50. > :24:57.generations. If I knew the secret, I would be a very rich man. This time
:24:58. > :25:06.of year, it is for a time. `` it is time.
:25:07. > :25:14.That choir playing their they were the sons and daughters the original
:25:15. > :25:17.choir from Erdington and Birmingham on the original recording. Amazing.
:25:18. > :25:20.No complaints about the weather today, albeit a bit chilly, but it
:25:21. > :25:22.is December after all. Here's Shefali to take us through the
:25:23. > :25:26.forecast. is December after
:25:27. > :25:30.It is December and it is about to turn to winter. That is why we are
:25:31. > :25:33.beginning to feel then it in the air. Today was basically the calm
:25:34. > :25:38.before the storm. The stormy conditions will be arriving tomorrow
:25:39. > :25:45.in the shape of heavy rain and wind from the West. We have basically got
:25:46. > :25:48.back to back systems. The second will be more potent, only because of
:25:49. > :25:53.the steep area of low pressure pushing it along. Right now out
:25:54. > :25:57.there it is fairly calm. We have got some showers in the far south`east
:25:58. > :26:03.of the region but they will clear later on. After that it is going to
:26:04. > :26:10.be relatively dry and clear. Again, this area will attract some itch ``
:26:11. > :26:13.patchy mist and fog. The wind later in the night will pick up and
:26:14. > :26:18.probably clear that. The wind is picking up ahead of the system for
:26:19. > :26:24.morning. Temperatures remain above freezing for most places around. It
:26:25. > :26:28.is going to be a wet and windy start to tomorrow. The rain is pushing
:26:29. > :26:32.eastwards through the morning. It is not going to be persistent but it
:26:33. > :26:35.will be heavy in places. By the afternoon kitchen start to show
:26:36. > :26:42.signs of easing a bit. Temperatures will be on the slow side. We have
:26:43. > :26:49.temperatures of 9`11d. It is not going to feel that mild with a
:26:50. > :26:58.winds picking up two `` with wins picking up to 40 mph. Tomorrow
:26:59. > :27:00.evening we have strong winds and potentially two inches of rain
:27:01. > :27:05.falling in a short space of time. This will all be clearing eastwards
:27:06. > :27:10.tomorrow night. In contrast, the end of the night will be much drier.
:27:11. > :27:15.Again, temperatures remain above freezing. On Thursday we have got
:27:16. > :27:19.the slackening isobars can indicate in calm conditions. You can see
:27:20. > :27:27.those speckles of white which represents now on the highest
:27:28. > :27:32.ground. `` which represent snow. Tonight's headlines from the BBC: At
:27:33. > :27:35.least one new runway is essential at an airport in south`east England,
:27:36. > :27:37.according to a Government commissioned review, with any
:27:38. > :27:40.expansion plans for Birmingham to be put on hold until 2050.
:27:41. > :27:43.And police investigating the disappearance 22 years ago of Nicola
:27:44. > :27:45.Payne in Coventry have arrested three people.
:27:46. > :27:46.That was the Midlands Today. I'll be back