:00:00. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today, the headlines tonight: Severe flood
:00:09. > :00:16.warnings, defence barriers up, and there's worse to come this weekend.
:00:17. > :00:20.It was very dramatic indeed for a period this morning, the river came
:00:21. > :00:22.up extremely quick. Talking to the locals, they haven't seen anything
:00:23. > :00:25.like it. We'll be live in Gloucester with the
:00:26. > :00:28.latest on the floods and the outlook for the weekend. Also tonight, a
:00:29. > :00:33.warning from farmers, changes to European subsidies will damage their
:00:34. > :00:38.business. If you take the average farm today,
:00:39. > :00:41.if you were to take away the support from CHP, it would not make a
:00:42. > :00:44.profit. Filmed and produced in the Midlands,
:00:45. > :00:48.actor Mark Williams tells us why he's loving the role of Father
:00:49. > :00:52.Brown. He is so interested in so many
:00:53. > :00:57.things, and I thought my natural inquisitiveness and nosiness would
:00:58. > :01:00.carry me through. Up for the Cup, the striker who
:01:01. > :01:04.could just cause a third`round upset.
:01:05. > :01:08.And it's the detail that counts with the weather this weekend, I'll be
:01:09. > :01:12.telling you when, where and how much more rainfall we can expect over the
:01:13. > :01:22.next few days, that's later in the programme.
:01:23. > :01:27.Good evening. After last night's heavy rain, flooding is causing
:01:28. > :01:30.problems along the River Severn, and there's more rain to come. Tonight,
:01:31. > :01:34.there are two severe flood warnings in place on the Severn around
:01:35. > :01:37.Minsterworth in Gloucestershire. Elsewhere, there are 13 flood
:01:38. > :01:42.warnings on the Severn, and also on the Wye and the River Leam. Further
:01:43. > :01:47.upstream, flood defences went up today on the Severn in Shrewsbury.
:01:48. > :01:51.But it's Gloucestershire, where the Severn Bore has been surging, that
:01:52. > :01:57.has been worst hit so far, as Cath Mackie reports.
:01:58. > :02:03.The tidal wave made its way up the river, already swollen from days of
:02:04. > :02:07.rain, and it hit had. The water rose by several metres, a force of nature
:02:08. > :02:11.breaking through the banks. In Minsterworth, they were prepared
:02:12. > :02:16.with a severe flood warning, and many had done what they could to
:02:17. > :02:21.protect their homes. It was about 18 inches in one part of the house,
:02:22. > :02:26.three or four inches in the other, so it was quite something, a tide
:02:27. > :02:31.coming out of the bank. At this pub, usually the spot to see the tidal
:02:32. > :02:36.surge, carpets were taken up in readiness. We have got our sandbags
:02:37. > :02:40.ready, but who knows? The coastguard moved along the river making sure
:02:41. > :02:44.no`one was trapped or injured. There was relief that the fences had not
:02:45. > :02:48.been breached. Elsewhere, the Midlands escaped the worst of the
:02:49. > :02:51.weather, and places used to flooding like the cricket ground and
:02:52. > :02:55.racecourse in Worcester were underground, but flood defences in
:02:56. > :03:00.towns along the river are doing their job. No problems at all, it is
:03:01. > :03:05.great to have them here, we don't have to worry about being flooded.
:03:06. > :03:09.There was concern that news that the Environment Agency is cutting jobs,
:03:10. > :03:14.including some in flood protection. I am appalled, to be honest, because
:03:15. > :03:18.they worked tirelessly, they work with communities, they raise
:03:19. > :03:21.awareness of flooding. What is going to happen to communities if these
:03:22. > :03:33.members of staff have gone? In Minsterworth, the next surge is at
:03:34. > :03:36.about nine o'clock tonight, it is predicted to be big but not as big
:03:37. > :03:38.as this morning. But weather forecasters are predicting more rain
:03:39. > :03:40.this weekend. These problems have been caused by a large search moving
:03:41. > :03:44.up the River Severn, due to an area of low pressure at high tide and
:03:45. > :03:48.strong winds. Couple that with excess water running of the Welsh
:03:49. > :03:52.mountains and more rainfall expected through the weekend, we could see
:03:53. > :03:55.even more flooding. The Environment Agency is advising people to monitor
:03:56. > :03:58.flood warnings and weather conditions.
:03:59. > :04:04.And Cath is near one of the areas worst affected in Gloucester, how's
:04:05. > :04:08.it looking now? Mary, the weather has been absolutely appalling this
:04:09. > :04:12.afternoon! Thankfully, we have some respite at the moment from the
:04:13. > :04:17.horrors of rain and howling winds. You can see the river behind me
:04:18. > :04:21.charging along, and with me is Chris from the Environment Agency, you
:04:22. > :04:25.were here this morning, was it as bad as you expected? It came within
:04:26. > :04:29.the parameters that we were expecting, it came very high indeed,
:04:30. > :04:34.and we were right to give that severe warning, because there were
:04:35. > :04:39.properties and lives at risk. Eyewitnesses said it was scary. It
:04:40. > :04:43.was. Initially, the Severn Bore came through that preceded the search
:04:44. > :04:48.itself, but I myself was further down river, and it came in a
:04:49. > :04:52.extremely fast, probably higher than I was expecting, so you can see the
:04:53. > :04:56.potential that it has. You still have a severe flood warning in
:04:57. > :05:00.place, what is the advice tonight? There was a bit of flooding but
:05:01. > :05:05.thankfully not too much into homes. Importantly, we are going to get
:05:06. > :05:09.another one tonight, because we have another astronomical high tide
:05:10. > :05:13.combined with wins and the fluvial flooding coming down the river.
:05:14. > :05:20.Importantly, we have kept that severe on. It is really to keep
:05:21. > :05:23.people away from the river and the parameters of the river. We still
:05:24. > :05:25.have to do an awful lot of work, we have people checking our
:05:26. > :05:31.infrastructure here. Just briefly, Chris, moored bad weather this
:05:32. > :05:35.weekend, what can we expect? Yes, we have another band of rain coming in,
:05:36. > :05:40.and other extremely low depression which will give us a lot of water on
:05:41. > :05:43.saturated ground, so another 20 or 30 millimetres of rain on high
:05:44. > :05:49.ground. So we will see further flood warnings and flood alerts further up
:05:50. > :05:53.in the Midlands area, for sure. If you're planning on travelling this
:05:54. > :05:55.weekend, you are best to check with your local radio station and the BBC
:05:56. > :06:06.News website. Back to you, Mary. Rebecca Wood will have the full
:06:07. > :06:09.forecast for the West Midlands later.
:06:10. > :06:19.Coming up later in the programme, 31 years in charge of Aston Villa, Doug
:06:20. > :06:23.Ellis at 90 on the highs and lows. We could not come in at midnight and
:06:24. > :06:27.put the lights on, because the moment you did, the phone would go,
:06:28. > :06:37.a van was down the road waiting to come in. That was my wife and I.
:06:38. > :06:41.Abuse, abuse, abuse. It's going to be a challenging year
:06:42. > :06:45.for our farmers as they face getting less cash from the Government in
:06:46. > :06:50.2014. Half of them say the changes will damage their businesses.
:06:51. > :06:53.Instead, more money will be diverted away from farmers and into
:06:54. > :06:56.environmental schemes and, you may be surprised to learn, grants for
:06:57. > :07:03.amateur dramatic societies. Here's our rural affairs correspondent,
:07:04. > :07:06.David Gregory`Kumar. The Lapworth Players in Warwickshire
:07:07. > :07:10.are tidying up after their Christmas show, a show staged with the help of
:07:11. > :07:18.cash from the Common Agricultural Policy, buying scenery and even a
:07:19. > :07:23.laptop for lighting. It has made a fantastic difference, a fantastic
:07:24. > :07:27.difference. We have used it in three production so far, all the
:07:28. > :07:31.equipment. It has just meant that we have moved on as well, we have not
:07:32. > :07:36.been stuck with old lighting, old sound, you know, we have been able
:07:37. > :07:42.to actually make our production better. The government has been
:07:43. > :07:45.shifting Common Agricultural Policy cash towards projects like this for
:07:46. > :07:50.a while now, and they want to do more of it, but the question is, how
:07:51. > :07:56.much extra cash should they take off farmers and what should they spend
:07:57. > :07:59.it on? 9% of the CAP budget had been diverted away from farmers, but over
:08:00. > :08:02.Christmas the Government increased that to 12%. And while this cash has
:08:03. > :08:05.been used to fund Warwickshire amateur dramatics, most of it is
:08:06. > :08:14.used for environmental schemes, often on farms, like Georgina Aird's
:08:15. > :08:19.Shropshire wetland. The money that we are getting for environmental
:08:20. > :08:22.schemes is absolutely crucial to what we are doing here, and if the
:08:23. > :08:26.NFU position means there is less money in that part, then that is
:08:27. > :08:29.really going to have a serious negative impact on our farm
:08:30. > :08:31.business. The NFU accepts the importance of grants for
:08:32. > :08:36.environmental schemes but worries taking cash from farmers to fund
:08:37. > :08:43.them will cause problems. Given that we are competing in the European
:08:44. > :08:48.Union, in the same market, the fact that actually English farmers are
:08:49. > :08:53.receiving less than farmers in France, Germany, Denmark, Ireland,
:08:54. > :08:57.the Netherlands, even in Scotland, well, that creates challenges when
:08:58. > :09:01.it comes to how competitive we can be. As farmers face cuts, the CAP is
:09:02. > :09:05.a growing part of rural life. And David is on a Shropshire farm
:09:06. > :09:09.now, to pick up on your last point, it's not great news for farmers, but
:09:10. > :09:18.surely more cash for rural projects is a good thing? Well, yes, in
:09:19. > :09:21.theory, Mary, but if you look at the numbers, you will see that counties
:09:22. > :09:25.like Warwickshire do better at picking up these grants that are on
:09:26. > :09:28.offer for rural businesses and even amateur dramatics when compared to
:09:29. > :09:31.somewhere like Herefordshire, and that could be because there is less
:09:32. > :09:34.need for cash and Herefordshire or because Warwickshire is better at
:09:35. > :09:38.getting hold of it through the system. That could be an issue as
:09:39. > :09:44.more of the funds go to the arrears. Let's return to farming, we have
:09:45. > :09:47.sheltered inside with a combine harvester and our Bay Hill, who
:09:48. > :09:54.farms here with his son. Why do farmers still need subsidies? We are
:09:55. > :09:58.still not at a level where we are meeting the industrial wages yet, so
:09:59. > :10:03.that was the idea of setting up CAP, and as soon as we get there, we will
:10:04. > :10:08.do away with subsidies altogether. Now, more money for green measures,
:10:09. > :10:13.most of that farming stuff, on farms, why can't you do more of that
:10:14. > :10:18.and grab back more of the money that way? I think at the moment the rules
:10:19. > :10:22.are very unclear on that, but they are going to be definitely
:10:23. > :10:26.targeting, and not everybody will be able to get them, and that, of
:10:27. > :10:31.course, could be a major problem for some farms were looking to
:10:32. > :10:34.diversify. Briefly, in Wales, even more money is going away from
:10:35. > :10:40.farmers, you have done quite well, really. They have had the benefit of
:10:41. > :10:46.it for many years in Wales, we love them to bits! Thank you for talking
:10:47. > :10:49.to us. If you go to my blog, you will find some useful tools that
:10:50. > :10:53.allow you to find out how much farmers near you are getting in
:10:54. > :10:58.subsidy and what sort of grants have been given to groups around you. We
:10:59. > :11:02.found well dressing in Staffordshire getting CAP money!
:11:03. > :11:05.Wise to stay indoors! 60 workers at a Black Country firm which
:11:06. > :11:08.manufactures brass products have lost their jobs after it went into
:11:09. > :11:12.administration. McKechnie Brass Limited, which is based in Aldridge
:11:13. > :11:15.in Walsall, dates back 140 years. It appointed administrators at the end
:11:16. > :11:18.of last month after making heavy losses, partly caused by an increase
:11:19. > :11:23.in scrap`metal prices, which pushed up costs.
:11:24. > :11:29.Detectives have released CCTV images of a man seen using a bank card
:11:30. > :11:33.stolen in a burglary. He was spotted at a Spa shop in Chelmsley Wood near
:11:34. > :11:37.Birmingham just minutes after a nearby house was burgled. Officers
:11:38. > :11:42.are hoping that releasing the pictures will help to identify the
:11:43. > :11:45.thief. The crime`fighting priest Father
:11:46. > :11:49.Brown is back for a second series on BBC One. Made by BBC Birmingham and
:11:50. > :11:53.filmed largely in Worcestershire and the Cotswolds, it's a worldwide
:11:54. > :11:56.success, seen in 16 countries. Our arts reporter, Satnam Rana, has been
:11:57. > :12:04.following filming throughout the year. She went on location to meet
:12:05. > :12:07.the star Mark Williams, who's perhaps even better known for his
:12:08. > :12:13.role as Mr Weasley in the Harry Potter films.
:12:14. > :12:16.Stand`by and action! Drama and motor history coming
:12:17. > :12:19.together on Shelsley Walsh hill climb in Worcestershire. Today the
:12:20. > :12:22.world's oldest motor sport venue in continuous use has been transformed
:12:23. > :12:31.into the set of BBC drama Father Brown. The top priority for us is to
:12:32. > :12:35.use the resources available to us locally and kind of put the Midlands
:12:36. > :12:39.on the screen, really, and to show where so much of the talent on and
:12:40. > :12:51.off is regional talent locations as well. It makes sense to use the
:12:52. > :12:55.local locations as well. I appear to be having an episode! The drama, set
:12:56. > :12:58.in the fictional Cotswold village of Kembleford in the 1950s, is based on
:12:59. > :13:02.the character created by GK Chesterton. Father Brown is played
:13:03. > :13:05.by Birmingham's Mark Williams. I remember the telephone call, and I
:13:06. > :13:21.remember thinking about whether I could do it or not. And I thought,
:13:22. > :13:24.yeah, I can do that. He's so interested in so many things, and I
:13:25. > :13:36.thought that my natural inquisitiveness stroke nosiness
:13:37. > :13:39.would carry me through, and it has. The series is made by BBC
:13:40. > :13:44.Birmingham's Drama Village, which produces 120 hours of TV per week.
:13:45. > :13:47.It's one of 31 features shot in the West Midlands last year. It's
:13:48. > :13:51.estimated ?8m was spent in the region. These shows also bring
:13:52. > :13:54.opportunities for local people. 64 extras have taken part in filming
:13:55. > :13:57.today. Now it's given theses supporting actors a chance to enjoy
:13:58. > :14:05.this beautiful landscape here as well as watch big names like Mark
:14:06. > :14:10.Williams in action. I think it is really good for the county, and it
:14:11. > :14:16.was a lovely drive over first thing this morning at 6:30, two, were when
:14:17. > :14:22.the sun had not risen in the clouds were in the valley. It was a special
:14:23. > :14:25.time of day to be driving. This is probably the oldest race track in
:14:26. > :14:32.the world, I believe, over 100 years old, and that is why they chose this
:14:33. > :14:34.place. Nice to see the Midlands featuring highly again. The second
:14:35. > :14:38.series of Father Brown starts on Monday afternoon at 2.15 for two
:14:39. > :14:40.weeks. And such is its success, filming starts for series three in
:14:41. > :14:54.the spring. 17 minutes to seven. This is our top
:14:55. > :14:57.story tonight, severe flood warning, defence barriers up, and there's
:14:58. > :15:00.worse to come this weekend. Your detailed weather forecast to come
:15:01. > :15:03.shortly, Rebecca will tell us how much more rain we're in for.
:15:04. > :15:06.Also in tonight's programme, it's FA Cup third round weekend, but Aston
:15:07. > :15:12.Villa's striker crisis deepens, Libor Kozak out for the rest of the
:15:13. > :15:15.season with a broken leg. And serious scores in Solihull, where
:15:16. > :15:24.Britain's best are competing for the title of champion.
:15:25. > :15:29.Sir Doug Ellis will always be linked with Aston Villa. Fittingly, he
:15:30. > :15:35.celebrated his 90th birthday today at Villa Park. He took over when the
:15:36. > :15:38.club was on its knees in the '60s and finally sold it seven years ago,
:15:39. > :15:42.with Villa established in the Premier League and solvent. Sir Doug
:15:43. > :15:46.has been talking to Nick Owen about his long love affair with Villa, on
:15:47. > :15:53.being the target of protests from the fans, and his relationships with
:15:54. > :15:58.a series of managers. I was fed to them all, they knew
:15:59. > :16:04.that they had complete control of training, choosing a team,
:16:05. > :16:07.discipline, whatever they did. When it comes to the finance,
:16:08. > :16:11.particularly if we were buying players, then it was passed to me
:16:12. > :16:21.once they have decided that was the player they wanted. But I spent
:16:22. > :16:26.120,000,001 year. Yet the fans often said you were too cautious. Oh,
:16:27. > :16:32.yeah, they kept calling me to get my cheque`book out. They abused me,
:16:33. > :16:38.they did all kinds of things to me and my wife and family. This house,
:16:39. > :16:42.a three tonne lorry driving all around the lawn here. We could not
:16:43. > :16:46.come in at midnight and put the lights on, because the moment you
:16:47. > :16:49.did, the phone would go, because they was a van down the road waiting
:16:50. > :16:55.for us to come in. Despite the abuse, I still kept to my principles
:16:56. > :17:00.of believing you cannot spend money which you have not got, and I didn't
:17:01. > :17:07.spend it. What did that do to you? Didn't it make you want to get out?
:17:08. > :17:14.No, no, just made me more determined to stay! I fought hard to keep the
:17:15. > :17:19.club stable, and I sold it without a penny of debt, with a good stadium,
:17:20. > :17:25.a good training ground, and a good set of players, and a lot of
:17:26. > :17:30.youngsters coming up. People have said you have got a huge ego, what
:17:31. > :17:39.do you say to that? If I did, I am sorry. I don't! I like to be humble
:17:40. > :17:44.and normal, and I'm not trying to be anything other than what I was when
:17:45. > :17:49.I was born. How important do you think the football club is to a
:17:50. > :17:55.community? The industrial cities are reliant upon the local football club
:17:56. > :17:59.being successful. And it is the talk of the town. When you lose, the men
:18:00. > :18:06.who are working in industrial cities' factories, on a Monday
:18:07. > :18:09.morning, they downed tools for the first half`hour, because they are in
:18:10. > :18:13.the toilets talking about the football match. Aston Villa's
:18:14. > :18:17.greatest success happened when you were not gently on, does that
:18:18. > :18:21.wrangle? It does a bit, because I knew the majority of the team and
:18:22. > :18:26.the staff behind the team were my appointments, so I was pleased for
:18:27. > :18:30.them. You were knighted for your services to charity, that must have
:18:31. > :18:39.been an absolute highlight. It was, knowing from where I came, six
:18:40. > :18:44.shillings a week to pick up milk and deliver it at 6:30. It was. You have
:18:45. > :18:49.been married for 50 years now, what challenge has been for you living
:18:50. > :18:56.with Mr Aston Villa, a driven businessman? Every match, home and
:18:57. > :19:02.away, she took a lot of the abuse, particularly on the telephone when I
:19:03. > :19:11.am not there from supporters who were abusing me. But she stuck it.
:19:12. > :19:17.And she is still here today. Finally, what are your hopes for
:19:18. > :19:25.Aston Villa? Oh... To win the premiership. Many happy returns. My
:19:26. > :19:29.friend, Nick, for many years, many thanks.
:19:30. > :19:35.Round three of the FA Cup takes place this weekend. There's sure to
:19:36. > :19:39.be an upset somewhere, but will it involve a Midlands club?
:19:40. > :19:42.Let's hope so, Kidderminster Harriers think they can, and they
:19:43. > :19:45.might have the man to do it. 12 months ago, Joe Lolley was studying
:19:46. > :19:48.at university and playing part`time in the Midland Combination. He
:19:49. > :19:51.scored 88 goals in 83 games for the Worcestershire club, Littleton. And
:19:52. > :19:55.this season, with Kidderminster Harriers, he's caught the eye of
:19:56. > :19:58.several top clubs. Joe's been talking to Ian Winter before
:19:59. > :20:05.tomorrow's FA Cup third`round tie against Peterborough.
:20:06. > :20:12.Joe Lolley, playing for fun and fully focused on the FA Cup. He's 21
:20:13. > :20:19.with pace to burn and a powerful shot. Peterborough, beware of the
:20:20. > :20:22.new kid on the Kidderminster block. I thought I might take a bit longer
:20:23. > :20:26.to get my chance in the team, it is happened quicker than I expected,
:20:27. > :20:31.but I'm not complaining. You are not afraid to have a crack at goal. I
:20:32. > :20:35.have already had the most shots, sometimes I think I should pass it
:20:36. > :20:37.more, but I see the goal and take a shot.
:20:38. > :20:40.And with seven goals so far, he's currently one of the hottest
:20:41. > :20:43.properties in non`league football. It is no surprise that his
:20:44. > :20:48.outstanding talent has caught the eye of many Football League clubs,
:20:49. > :20:50.surely one of them will make an offer that Kidderminster cannot
:20:51. > :20:56.refuse during the January transfer window. Everyone is on the edge of
:20:57. > :21:00.the seat when he gets the ball, it is fantastic, I know what the fans
:21:01. > :21:05.are thinking, something is going to happen. How good could he be tumour
:21:06. > :21:09.he is a special talent, the young lad making a name for himself, I
:21:10. > :21:12.have high hopes he can go to the top. By sheer coincidence, one of
:21:13. > :21:15.Joe's biggest admirers just happens to be Peterborough United, who'll be
:21:16. > :21:19.watching him like a hawk when they go head to head with the Harriers
:21:20. > :21:24.tomorrow. But his ultimate dream would lie a little closer to home.
:21:25. > :21:33.Are you an Aston Villa fan? I am, quite a big fan! But yeah, no, I
:21:34. > :21:37.love Villa. Now there's food for thought. Just imagine if Harriers
:21:38. > :21:40.got drawn against Villa in round four. But first, they must pull off
:21:41. > :21:48.a shock against Peterborough to write a famous chapter in the
:21:49. > :21:52.football life of Joe Lolley. So Kidderminster are up for the Cup,
:21:53. > :21:54.but the Aston Villa manager is a little less enthusiastic.
:21:55. > :21:56.Yes, in his pre`match press conference, Paul Lambert said that
:21:57. > :22:00.top`flight managers could do without the FA Cup. That raised a few
:22:01. > :22:04.eyebrows! Well, he'll certainly have to do without one of his strikers
:22:05. > :22:08.for the rest of season. Libor Kozak broke a leg in training yesterday
:22:09. > :22:11.and will be out for the rest of the season. He's scored five goals so
:22:12. > :22:13.far and has been increasingly important this season due to
:22:14. > :22:16.Christian Benteke's poor form. He has had injuries as well. Villa host
:22:17. > :22:24.Sheffield United in the Cup tomorrow. Let's look at the full
:22:25. > :22:28.list. Burton Albion are going well in League Two, they're up to second,
:22:29. > :22:30.so will hope to cause an upset at Championship side Bournemouth. Stoke
:22:31. > :22:33.City host the Championship leaders, Leicester City, so won't have that
:22:34. > :22:37.one all their own way. Birmingham City are guaranteed to be in the
:22:38. > :22:40.fourth round draw, they are at home to Crawley or Bristol Rovers, but
:22:41. > :22:46.they have not played the second round replay, it has been postponed
:22:47. > :22:51.twice. They hope to play that on Wednesday, with the Blues playing
:22:52. > :22:55.the next week. It is a cup run without blowing! Eight teams
:22:56. > :22:58.involved this weekend. That's it for today's sport, Mary, and onto more
:22:59. > :23:01.of a hobby now, Mary? Well, don't let players of the
:23:02. > :23:05.world's most popular word game hear you say that, Dan. The UK Scrabble
:23:06. > :23:08.Championships are being held in deadly earnest in Solihull. And we
:23:09. > :23:12.sent our reporter Bob, B`O`B, seven points, and it's OK because it's a
:23:13. > :23:18.word as well as a name, Hockenhull to join the action.
:23:19. > :23:21.A world of word experts representing ten countries has gathered in
:23:22. > :23:26.Solihull. I have come from Australia, I'm not sure how far it
:23:27. > :23:30.was, but I was travelling on an aeroplane for over 21 hours. It is
:23:31. > :23:35.one of the top international Germans, but there are local
:23:36. > :23:41.players, and this player is from Solihull. `` to an immense. I was
:23:42. > :23:43.not going to do it because it was the school holidays, but thinking
:23:44. > :23:49.about international players being two miles from home, I had to do it,
:23:50. > :23:53.it has been brilliant. Nearly 50 intense games will be played during
:23:54. > :23:59.the competitions. They have 260,000 words to choose from, but some
:24:00. > :24:03.increasingly familiar terms do not make it onto the board. Words that
:24:04. > :24:06.have become common in the last year do not necessarily count in
:24:07. > :24:16.scrabble. For example, twerking is not allowed. Neither is Bitcoin, but
:24:17. > :24:20.what about selfie? It might be acceptable for world leaders, but a
:24:21. > :24:27.quick check on a Scrabble computer program shows that selfie is not
:24:28. > :24:31.permitted. But surprisingly girl, a young woman who enjoys aggressive
:24:32. > :24:38.punk rock, is allowed, and you can also have the word vlog, a blog
:24:39. > :24:42.using the medium of video. The championships have already thrown up
:24:43. > :24:46.a few surprises. World champion Nigel Richards from New Zealand does
:24:47. > :24:50.not give interviews. Perhaps he is lost for words after being beaten
:24:51. > :24:57.three times by a 13`year`old from London. It was a good game, I got
:24:58. > :25:03.four bonuses, a close game. I only won by 28. You can never master it,
:25:04. > :25:07.you can always get better. It looks like Jack is setting himself up for
:25:08. > :25:11.a lifetime of playing with words. They say that Scrabble is one of the
:25:12. > :25:15.world's most addictive games. Let's turn to the forecast now.
:25:16. > :25:16.Rebecca is here. Compared with coastal areas, we've got away quite
:25:17. > :25:23.lightly, haven't we? Well, yes, Mary we've still seen
:25:24. > :25:27.some heavy spells of rain and strong gusts of winds, but apart from that
:25:28. > :25:30.we have largely managed to escape the worst of the weather, although
:25:31. > :25:33.there is a risk of another storm surge this evening as winds peak
:25:34. > :25:36.round high tide. We could see another storm surge in
:25:37. > :25:40.Gloucestershire. We are in for quite a bit of rain! Yes, we still have
:25:41. > :25:44.two bands of rain to contend with, each with the potential to deliver
:25:45. > :25:47.up to 20mm in a short space of time, that's nearly an inch. The good
:25:48. > :25:51.news, if there is any is that tonight is the worst of the weather
:25:52. > :25:54.is largely behind us. It will get colder, though, and we have more
:25:55. > :25:58.rain to come tomorrow night and through to Sunday. Still a few
:25:59. > :26:01.showers remaining tonight, some could be quite heavy, but they will
:26:02. > :26:09.eventually move off, and behind that under clear skies temperatures will
:26:10. > :26:13.fall away. That brings us to our next problem, which is ice, and we
:26:14. > :26:18.can see another weather system waiting in the wings which has quite
:26:19. > :26:21.a lot of rain on it. That will drop 20 millimetres on saturated ground
:26:22. > :26:26.tomorrow morning, but once it has clear the way things will not be too
:26:27. > :26:29.bad to end the day. We will get good spells of sunshine, but there will
:26:30. > :26:34.still be the odd shower. Temperatures not doing too well,
:26:35. > :26:37.despite the winds easing, still around seven or eight Celsius.
:26:38. > :26:41.Tomorrow night we continue to see showers pushing through, some quite
:26:42. > :26:45.lively, the potential for some to be wintry over high ground. And
:26:46. > :26:50.tomorrow night temperatures fall rapidly again, a widespread frost,
:26:51. > :26:54.ice patches once again, and we have some patchy fog to come through
:26:55. > :26:57.Sunday morning. By Sunday, we have the next weather system didn't end
:26:58. > :27:09.with, it is moving through and bringing with it, once again, some
:27:10. > :27:13.heavy rain. We start Sunday with dry and bright weather, but the rain
:27:14. > :27:17.moves into saturated ground, we will see a fair few millimetres with it,
:27:18. > :27:21.and this wet and windy weather is not going anywhere as we head into
:27:22. > :27:24.the new working week, we will see that pattern repeating itself,
:27:25. > :27:26.perhaps a little more brightness on Monday.
:27:27. > :27:34.A glimmer of hope! That is the main headline from the BBC. Another
:27:35. > :27:37.massive winter storm sweeps up the entire west coast of the UK with
:27:38. > :27:41.winds of 90mph. That was Midlands Today, I will be back at 10:30pm
:27:42. > :27:44.with the latest on the flood warnings and the outlook for the
:27:45. > :27:47.weekend. Join me for that, have a good weekend, bye`bye.