:00:00. > :00:00.showers in the west and south. That's all from
:00:00. > :00:21.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: there would
:00:22. > :00:24.be a single Chief Constable and one Police and Crime Commissioner plus
:00:25. > :00:28.all of the associated support staff. We will ask an MP if a merger
:00:29. > :00:35.between those forces could be the best option? A fraud investigation
:00:36. > :00:39.into a possible overseas betting syndicate after police approach a
:00:40. > :00:42.Chinese spectator yesterday. With they said was under threat, what is
:00:43. > :00:48.the future for young disabled people in Staffordshire? He needs
:00:49. > :00:55.estimation because if he gets bored, then he becomes less happy.
:00:56. > :01:01.Burgeoning numbers of feral cats are a problem in London ` could moving
:01:02. > :01:04.them to the Midlands be the answer? And we were talking about flood
:01:05. > :01:09.warnings last week, this week it is colder. But does that mean a chance
:01:10. > :01:19.to dry eyed? The full forecast coming up. `` dry out. Good evening.
:01:20. > :01:22.The organisation representing rank`and`file police officers is
:01:23. > :01:25.tonight calling for a full merger of West Mercia and Warwickshire Police
:01:26. > :01:28.to protect front line policing. The West Mercia Police Federation call
:01:29. > :01:39.comes as both forces face up to extra budget cuts over the next five
:01:40. > :01:41.years. West Mercia, which covers Herefordshire, Shropshire and
:01:42. > :01:44.Worcestershire, must save an extra ?22 million over the next five
:01:45. > :01:50.years. While Warwickshire must save ?9 million over the same period. Ben
:01:51. > :01:54.Godfrey reports. The thin blue line could be about to get thinner. Faced
:01:55. > :01:57.with reduced Government funding, West Mercia Police must save a
:01:58. > :02:03.further ?22million over the next five years. The Office of the Police
:02:04. > :02:06.and Crime Commissioner is trying to manage the cuts while plundering
:02:07. > :02:16.reserves to urgently fill police officer vacancies. We have made
:02:17. > :02:21.considerable savings and had a reserve of nearly ?49 million and we
:02:22. > :02:25.will use that in relation to lessening the impact on policy over
:02:26. > :02:31.the next five years whilst we make further savings. Warwickshire Police
:02:32. > :02:35.must find ?9 million of savings. In recent years these two forces have
:02:36. > :02:41.axed a combined 400 posts and dozens of police bases. The Chief Constable
:02:42. > :02:46.signed up to a strategic Alliance. But the West Mercia federation says
:02:47. > :02:52.a full merger is needed. After May 20 16th and the next elections, that
:02:53. > :02:55.will have to become a serious consideration because it is an
:02:56. > :03:00.obvious way of saving money. It would mean a single command team,
:03:01. > :03:07.one Chief Constable and one Deputy Chief Constable and one crime
:03:08. > :03:12.Commissioner plus associated staff. They have made it quite clear that
:03:13. > :03:16.there shall be no merger. As far as Bill and myself are concerned, we
:03:17. > :03:19.have an open mind and will consider all options. Police Commissioners
:03:20. > :03:22.were elected in November 2012. They faced public pressure to put more
:03:23. > :03:26.bobbies on the beat. It's clear the taxpayer could bear some of the
:03:27. > :03:30.costs directly. There's a proposal here to increase the police element
:03:31. > :03:36.of the council tax to raise an extra ?1.7 million a year, which could
:03:37. > :03:40.divide public opinion. I don't think we should have to pay more, the
:03:41. > :03:45.money should be there for the police. If it gets more officers on
:03:46. > :03:51.the street, yes, but we see them few and far between. I don't want to pay
:03:52. > :03:57.more council tax, I want funding to be kept as effectively low as it can
:03:58. > :04:01.be. Away from public office, the West Mercia Police Commissioner is
:04:02. > :04:04.facing his own personal battle. The 76`year`old has revealed he's being
:04:05. > :04:13.treated for lung cancer and will take time away from his post to
:04:14. > :04:16.recover from surgery. Joining us now from his constituency office in
:04:17. > :04:19.Cannock is the Conservative MP Aidan Burley, who was part of David
:04:20. > :04:22.Cameron's Police Reform Taskforce. Good evening, Mr Burley. So the
:04:23. > :04:31.Police Federation says forces should merge. Is that the answer? Size is
:04:32. > :04:35.not everything and we have been here before in 2006, the previous
:04:36. > :04:39.government tried to great regional police forces for a handling that
:04:40. > :04:43.when they realised it would make them less accountable to the
:04:44. > :04:47.communities they served and would cost a lot of money to merge those
:04:48. > :04:54.forces. The proposed merger of Warwickshire and West Mercia would
:04:55. > :04:57.cover an area of nearly 4000 square miles and would inevitably become
:04:58. > :05:02.more remote from the public at a time when we want police to become
:05:03. > :05:07.more accountable to the communities. What is needed is far greater
:05:08. > :05:14.sharing of back office resources, sharing human resource functions and
:05:15. > :05:18.IT and procurement and so on but we want smaller forces that are more
:05:19. > :05:26.accountable to the public. So you are against any merger? I am because
:05:27. > :05:32.I think the larger police forces become more remote from the public
:05:33. > :05:35.because they cover a large area and what we find happens is they start
:05:36. > :05:40.setting strategic targets at the top rather than having that
:05:41. > :05:45.community`based policing the public say they want. They want police to
:05:46. > :05:49.be more accountable to local people, more accountable to the public but
:05:50. > :05:58.actually there are huge savings to be had in the back offices, where 43
:05:59. > :06:03.police forces can share functions. Looking at specifics, West Mercia
:06:04. > :06:05.have further savings to be made but the commissioner talks about more
:06:06. > :06:11.policemen on the beat. How is that possible? We need to get away from
:06:12. > :06:16.this numbers game and the effectiveness of lease forces
:06:17. > :06:19.measured on headcount. The problem in this country is the average
:06:20. > :06:24.police man spends more time doing paperwork and on patrol and the Home
:06:25. > :06:29.Office figures show they spend around 14% of their time on patrol
:06:30. > :06:32.compared to 19 present on paperwork and if you consider this, if you
:06:33. > :06:38.could increase the amount of time on the beat from one fifth of their
:06:39. > :06:42.working day to double that, you would double the police presence on
:06:43. > :06:48.the streets in England and Wales without recruiting one single extra
:06:49. > :06:52.officer. Thank you. Coming up later in the programme: The developing row
:06:53. > :06:59.over proposals to build a Muslim cemetery with 4,000 burial plots on
:07:00. > :07:03.green belt land near Solihull. Some developing news in the last hour `
:07:04. > :07:05.two men from Birmingham have been arrested at Heathrow Airport on
:07:06. > :07:08.suspicion of terrorism offences relating to activities in Syria. Our
:07:09. > :07:20.special correspondent, Peter Wilson, is here. What more can you tell us?
:07:21. > :07:23.These men are both 21 and come from the Handsworth area of Birmingham.
:07:24. > :07:29.They were intercepted at Heathrow Airport coming from Turkey by
:07:30. > :07:36.unarmed officers from West Midlands Counter`terrorism Unit. The police
:07:37. > :07:41.say that they have arrested these people under the terrorist act in
:07:42. > :07:45.order to find out exactly what the nature of the activities where in
:07:46. > :07:51.Syria. Not because it represented any particular threat to the public
:07:52. > :07:58.here. Separate from this, two years ago running camp MP Khalid Mahmud
:07:59. > :08:03.warned about young men from the West Midlands travelling to Syria and
:08:04. > :08:12.taking part in the vicious civil war in that country. And saying that
:08:13. > :08:17.Al`Qaeda type groups were actually using jihadis from the area as part
:08:18. > :08:22.of the civil war out there. Is Syria a big concern for people here? I
:08:23. > :08:26.have been working for the Sunday Politics programme and I have been
:08:27. > :08:31.talking to young Muslim people who are very concerned about the
:08:32. > :08:35.military in crisis happening in Syria and lots of people sending
:08:36. > :08:40.winter clothing to refugees and they are concerned about the problems so
:08:41. > :08:46.there is a great deal of unease here in the West Midlands about what is
:08:47. > :08:49.happening in Syria. But the police anyone to talk to these young men
:08:50. > :08:54.and find out exactly what they have been doing in that country. Thank
:08:55. > :08:56.you. Police have confirmed they're investigating a possible betting
:08:57. > :09:01.fraud at yesterday's League One match involving Coventry City. A
:09:02. > :09:03.Chinese man was questioned and released without charge following a
:09:04. > :09:10.joint operation between the police and the Football Association. Ian
:09:11. > :09:13.Winter reports. All quiet at Sixfields Stadium today, permanent
:09:14. > :09:16.home of Northampton Town and temporary residence of Coventry
:09:17. > :09:19.City. Yesterday, the visitors were Crawley, plus members of the FA
:09:20. > :09:21.Fraud Team who had a special interest in the suspicious
:09:22. > :09:24.activities of one particular spectator.This afternoon, a
:09:25. > :09:32.spokesman said The FA do not make any comment on integrity matters. A
:09:33. > :09:35.spokesman said the FA do not comment on integrity matters. But tonight,
:09:36. > :09:38.Midlands Today can reveal exactly what went on. Throughout the game,
:09:39. > :09:42.as Coventry surged into a two`goal lead, police officers were keeping a
:09:43. > :09:45.very close eye on a Chinese man who they suspected of using an
:09:46. > :09:48.electronic device to send specific details of the match to members of a
:09:49. > :09:54.gambling syndicate abroad. With ten minutes left to play, matchday
:09:55. > :09:58.stewards made their move. The man was escorted away the Coventry fans
:09:59. > :10:06.in the main stand and taken for questioning by officers from
:10:07. > :10:10.Northamptonshire and Sussex Police. I understand they were acting on
:10:11. > :10:14.intelligence received by the FA Fraud Team, who suspected the man
:10:15. > :10:16.was relaying information about the game to an overseas betting
:10:17. > :10:20.syndicate. Tonight, Northamptonshire Police confirmed that officers spoke
:10:21. > :10:23.with a man who was of interest to representatives from the Football
:10:24. > :10:28.Association as part of their ongoing investigation into fraud. The man
:10:29. > :10:31.was not arrested. Neither was he able to witness Coventry's late
:10:32. > :10:35.collapse as they conceded two sloppy goals in the final seven minutes to
:10:36. > :10:43.give Crawley a share of the points in a 2`2 draw, leaving manager
:10:44. > :10:48.Stephen Pressley fuming. I was bitterly disappointed the cars we
:10:49. > :10:51.had worked so hard to try to get this result from difficult
:10:52. > :10:54.circumstances and these things cannot happen. Meanwhile the FA's
:10:55. > :10:56.Fraud Team will continue its ongoing investigation into suspicious
:10:57. > :11:05.behaviour relating to betting overseas. A mother accused of
:11:06. > :11:08.leaving her newborn baby in undergrowth at a Birmingham park has
:11:09. > :11:12.been charged with abandoning a child. The baby, who was named Jade
:11:13. > :11:21.after the dog who found her, was discovered in Stechford Park in
:11:22. > :11:25.October. A 26`year`old woman will appear before magistrates at the end
:11:26. > :11:28.of the month. Dozens of people have been protesting outside the offices
:11:29. > :11:30.of a London television company which produces the show Benefits Street,
:11:31. > :11:33.which is based in Birmingham. Campaigners are calling on Love
:11:34. > :11:40.Productions to scrap the programme, saying it demonises people claiming
:11:41. > :11:44.government help. More than 30,000 people have signed a petition to
:11:45. > :11:47.stop the show. Nearly 1,000 people have written to Solihull Council
:11:48. > :11:50.objecting to proposals to build a Muslim cemetery on green belt land
:11:51. > :11:57.near Catherine`de`Barnes. The development's expected to have 4,000
:11:58. > :12:00.burial plots and 75 parking spaces. But people living nearby feel
:12:01. > :12:05.there's not enough need for it. Bob Hockenhull has more. These fields on
:12:06. > :12:08.the outskirts of an upmarket village have traditionally been used to grow
:12:09. > :12:11.crops. Their new owner is seeking planning permission for the green
:12:12. > :12:14.belt land to be turned into a Muslim cemetery. But nearby residents say
:12:15. > :12:21.the development of 4,000 burial plots is wholly inappropriate for
:12:22. > :12:26.the area. We are horrified by this, the village is over one mile from
:12:27. > :12:31.the road. And it would almost certainly, in times of huge burials,
:12:32. > :12:34.whatever faith, if they are large burials, with those numbers of
:12:35. > :12:37.people on this road, it could cause problems. Councillors representing
:12:38. > :12:40.the village of Catherine`de`Barnes, which is next to the fields, insist
:12:41. > :12:43.there is already provision for muslim burials at other cemeteries
:12:44. > :12:47.in Solihull. But Muslims say they often have to travel, even abroad
:12:48. > :12:50.sometimes, so they can bury their loved ones in accordance with Sharia
:12:51. > :12:59.law. They say the Muslim population is increasing here and a specific
:13:00. > :13:02.cemetery is needed in the borough. Residents say the green belt is
:13:03. > :13:06.already vulnerable because it is on the edge of the West Midlands
:13:07. > :13:10.conurbation but the Muslim community argues that the cemetery will have a
:13:11. > :13:15.readable visual impact on the landscape. `` very little.
:13:16. > :13:20.Traditional burials dictate that Muslims should be buried with their
:13:21. > :13:23.heads facing toward Mecca. But there are no gravestones and this Iman
:13:24. > :13:26.from Solihull says neighbouring residents have nothing to fear.
:13:27. > :13:31.People worried about the green belt, there will not be any nodding their
:13:32. > :13:39.and I do not know about the plan itself but that is closer to the
:13:40. > :13:45.region you are, the less you'll think you do. The council but side
:13:46. > :13:53.within the next few months. `` council will decide. A Birmingham MP
:13:54. > :13:56.is urging parents suspected of child abuse to flee the country rather
:13:57. > :13:59.than face justice in the family courts because he believes they
:14:00. > :14:02.can't rely on the evidence being fair. John Hemming is chairman of
:14:03. > :14:06.the Justice for Families campaign group and says he's been contacted
:14:07. > :14:09.by hundreds of parents. I spoke to him earlier and asked him why he
:14:10. > :14:16.feels families are being badly treated. There are some decisions
:14:17. > :14:19.taken here and I know of one case where a baby has been put up for
:14:20. > :14:24.adoption because of the mother 's political views and this would not
:14:25. > :14:30.be done in another country. Surely running a broad will not solve this?
:14:31. > :14:35.It does because in another country, people do forum shopping and they
:14:36. > :14:40.have come here for liable and if you go `` if you go abroad, in the UK
:14:41. > :14:44.you face the removal of your child because of political views and
:14:45. > :14:47.abroad they say that is mad. It sounds almost a responsible, from an
:14:48. > :14:53.MP, suggesting people should run away from the authorities? It is not
:14:54. > :14:56.really running away from the 40s because you are going to authorities
:14:57. > :15:02.in another country and you say, this is the situation, do you think I am
:15:03. > :15:10.a threat to my child? In cases like bloody good views by the case with a
:15:11. > :15:13.family from Suffolk going to Spain and they provided all the paperwork
:15:14. > :15:18.to social workers and they sent them home. Surely the first verity in
:15:19. > :15:28.this country has to be the safety of the child? In any country it should
:15:29. > :15:32.be. But you must look at situations where a family takes a child into
:15:33. > :15:40.care unnecessarily and that fills up the care system so you cannot take
:15:41. > :15:43.children into care who are at risk. This was a baby aged seven and if
:15:44. > :15:47.you try to predict that, you would not have been able to do so so the
:15:48. > :15:52.danger is that by taking lots of babies into care, we missed the
:15:53. > :15:57.risks and we see children dying from child abuse. Mr Hemming will be
:15:58. > :16:02.appearing on Panorama: I Want My Baby Back at 9.00pm tonight here on
:16:03. > :16:05.BBC One. Our top story tonight: A police union leader calls for the
:16:06. > :16:11.Warwickshire and West Mercia forces to merge as a further round of cuts
:16:12. > :16:14.is announced. Rebecca will be with us in a few minutes with your
:16:15. > :16:17.detailed weather forecast and also in tonight's programme: A change of
:16:18. > :16:22.scene: Why feral cats from the capital are finding their way to the
:16:23. > :16:25.peace of the Midlands countryside. We're live at Villa Park, where
:16:26. > :16:32.Aston Villa take on high`flyers Arsenal. Can they stop them going
:16:33. > :16:37.back to the top with only their third home win of the season?
:16:38. > :16:40.Councillors will decide the future of day services for people with
:16:41. > :16:43.learning disabilities this week. Under the plans from Staffordshire
:16:44. > :16:46.County Council, day centres in Kidsgrove and Codsall are due to
:16:47. > :16:52.close, with one in Leek being downsized. The council says the plan
:16:53. > :17:01.is to improve the quality of care. So what happens if they close? Phil
:17:02. > :17:05.McCann has been investigating. Paul has Down's syndrome. Every weekday
:17:06. > :17:10.he goes to a day centre near his home in Kidsgrove. But it's closing
:17:11. > :17:17.and he'll be reassessed to see if the council thinks he still needs
:17:18. > :17:22.care. It is good we spied for us and it is demolition for him. ``
:17:23. > :17:29.respite. He needs stimulation because if he gets bored then, then
:17:30. > :17:34.he becomes less happy. And cooperative. For the last 20 years
:17:35. > :17:38.he has waited like this when the bus to take him one mile down the road.
:17:39. > :17:41.Nearly 500 people with learning disabilities use centres like this
:17:42. > :17:45.one in Stafford, which isn't closing. But the County Council
:17:46. > :17:48.wants to cut that number by 70% so it's going to reassess them all,
:17:49. > :17:54.with the hope that around 130 people will be judged not to need any help
:17:55. > :18:01.at all. We are modernising disability services and we intend,
:18:02. > :18:04.for those who can, we will get them out of daycare provision and into
:18:05. > :18:09.community provision because we believe that is the right thing to
:18:10. > :18:11.do and people integrated into the community is definitely a better
:18:12. > :18:15.life for people with learning disabilities. This is the council's
:18:16. > :18:18.vision of the future. At this farm near Uttoxeter, adults with learning
:18:19. > :18:30.disabilities are trained in how to grow crops and look after animals.
:18:31. > :18:36.You can learn a range of skills here and it boosts your confidence a lot.
:18:37. > :18:41.I just really enjoy it, and if I had the chance to come here, I wouldn't
:18:42. > :18:44.mind even living here! It is about social networks and building
:18:45. > :18:50.friendships with people that they can take outside of this opportunity
:18:51. > :18:53.and I like nothing more than hearing them doing things like bowling and
:18:54. > :18:58.ordinary things. So what does Rob think? Could this work for his son?
:18:59. > :19:03.Some people might be able to cope with this and others not so much.
:19:04. > :19:10.Nevertheless, what has been done here, in essence, is good. But I
:19:11. > :19:14.think practically, it would not be a replacement for the day centre. The
:19:15. > :19:19.plans are due to be finalised on Wednesday. But there have been
:19:20. > :19:30.protests by cameras worried about looking after farm animals as not a
:19:31. > :19:33.long`term solution. Football now. It's all getting a bight tight down
:19:34. > :19:37.the bottom of the Premier League. Dan's here now. Can Aston Villa ease
:19:38. > :19:40.their worries with a result against Arsenal this evening? It's a big
:19:41. > :19:43.night for Aston Villa and their manager, Paul Lambert. The fans
:19:44. > :19:46.turned on him after last week's FA Cup defeat by Sheffield United and
:19:47. > :19:49.tonight they face title`chasing Arsenal at Villa Park. Nick
:19:50. > :19:55.Clitheroe is there for us. How critical could this game be? This is
:19:56. > :19:59.massive for both clubs and Arsenal could go top of the league but Villa
:20:00. > :20:03.could get into the top half of even one point. Hard to believe because
:20:04. > :20:07.they have only had two home wins in ten matches this season. Joining me
:20:08. > :20:14.is the chairman of the supporters trust. It has been desperate. Not
:20:15. > :20:18.something you can look forward to but you come along in the hope that
:20:19. > :20:25.we might just turn the corner. Do you see any green shoots? Not
:20:26. > :20:31.really. But I always think that if we can get anti`gay scoring and
:20:32. > :20:42.playing like last season, there has to be some optimism. `` Benteke
:20:43. > :20:47.scoring. Good Aston Villa go down? I am not overly worried but it is so
:20:48. > :20:51.close in the bottom ten but a couple of victories can change everything.
:20:52. > :20:56.Goals have been in short supply, only seven in ten matches? That is
:20:57. > :21:02.awful, we do not seem able to get anywhere near the six yard area at
:21:03. > :21:10.home. What is your prediction tonight? Narrow defeat, I think.
:21:11. > :21:16.2`1. Let us hope it is for us! Let us hope that it is a happier note
:21:17. > :21:19.for the fans, they really have struggled to get much entertainment
:21:20. > :21:22.out of their home games this season. And it would give everyone such a
:21:23. > :21:29.left at this club if they could win tonight. Thank you for the match. As
:21:30. > :21:32.for our other two Premier League teams, Stoke City and West Bromwich
:21:33. > :21:36.Albion both lost but the games were quite different. Stoke lost 5`3 to
:21:37. > :21:39.Liverpool in a dramatic game at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke were 2`0
:21:40. > :21:43.down. But two fine goals from Peter Crouch and then Charlie Adam pulled
:21:44. > :21:46.them back level at 2`2 by half`time. But Liverpool's strike force ` led
:21:47. > :21:53.by Luis Suarez ` just proved too powerful for Stoke in the end.
:21:54. > :21:57.Albion's new head coach, Pepe Mel, was in the crowd to watch their game
:21:58. > :22:01.at Southampton. But it's unlikely he was impressed by what he saw. Albion
:22:02. > :22:03.only lost 1`0 but they were distinctly second`best. Mel will
:22:04. > :22:15.meet the players for the first time tomorrow when he takes over the
:22:16. > :22:22.coaching duties. Mel takes over duties tomorrow. And he is in the
:22:23. > :22:25.crowd tonight? So it's fair to say that none of our teams are safe from
:22:26. > :22:31.relegation this season. As you mentioned earlier, it's all very
:22:32. > :22:37.tight. The bottom 11 clubs are separated by just six points. They
:22:38. > :22:43.have beaten Arsenal? The first day of the season. And this time, Robert
:22:44. > :22:55.De Niro has tipped them to win. As investors to loan, this is what they
:22:56. > :23:09.had to say! Aston Villa? Interesting choice. Really? URA bookmaker! Not
:23:10. > :23:15.convinced! Investments can go down as well as up! Could a move to the
:23:16. > :23:18.Midlands be all that's needed to save the lives of London's feral
:23:19. > :23:21.cats? Animal welfare charities in the capital say they're being
:23:22. > :23:25.overwhelmed by a huge boom in the numbers of strays and they're having
:23:26. > :23:28.to put a lot of them to sleep. However, tonight's Inside Out
:23:29. > :23:32.follows the work of a charity who've found a surprising solution. Johny
:23:33. > :23:37.Pitts reports. Cecille and Stanley are on their way to a new home in
:23:38. > :23:40.the Cotswolds and it has turned out to be a life`saving journey. They
:23:41. > :23:44.started life as feral cats living on the streets of London, where there
:23:45. > :23:47.are now tens of thousands of other strays just like them. Animal
:23:48. > :23:54.welfare charities say the problem has reached crisis point. This is
:23:55. > :23:56.the problem when people do not neuter their animals and people
:23:57. > :24:04.abandon them and threw them out, it is a throwaway society. One cat can
:24:05. > :24:08.multiply and you could end up with hundreds of them. Just like you, we
:24:09. > :24:11.have 20 cats. Ferals are not what you think. They're not wild
:24:12. > :24:14.monsters, they're actually shy of human contact. But because they can
:24:15. > :24:19.be unpredictable they can't simply become house cats, making finding
:24:20. > :24:23.them a home difficult. The reality is if there is not enough homes for
:24:24. > :24:29.them, they will have to be put to sleep. But now animal charities like
:24:30. > :24:32.SNIP have discovered there's a niche market for cats like these right
:24:33. > :24:37.here in the Midlands countryside. We need them for vermin control and at
:24:38. > :24:40.this time of year, all of the mice and other variables come in and we
:24:41. > :24:49.have chickens here so they attract vermin. It is perfect to have some
:24:50. > :24:53.cats. They are quite entertaining as well. It's a far cry from the
:24:54. > :24:56.streets of London. Here they'll have a job, fresh milk plus their own
:24:57. > :25:00.penthouse suite on the top floor of the stable. And after just a month
:25:01. > :25:05.in their new home, our Cockney kitties have become top Midlands
:25:06. > :25:10.mousers. Have a blog that mice? Not a lot but they have started.
:25:11. > :25:15.Hopefully they will not bring any because we will not have any! Time
:25:16. > :25:24.for the weather forecast. It will be rather cold and those
:25:25. > :25:29.critters shall be on stand`by through the region. We expect wide
:25:30. > :25:35.`` widespread frost and showers to come first, clearing away and
:25:36. > :25:40.temperatures falling away. Tomorrow is a cold start, but a bad day with
:25:41. > :25:46.decent spells of sunshine through the day and cloud or fill in through
:25:47. > :25:50.the afternoon and ahead of the span of showers, this is effecting us, we
:25:51. > :25:56.have some squally conditions around the showers and there is the chance
:25:57. > :26:00.of some wintry showers over higher ground. But they will clear away
:26:01. > :26:05.through the next few hours and behind that, we will see this guy
:26:06. > :26:09.squaring and temperatures falling away rapidly. The Met Office has
:26:10. > :26:12.issued a Yellow Warning for icy stretches coming tomorrow morning as
:26:13. > :26:18.temperatures dipped to around freezing. But then it is not long
:26:19. > :26:23.before we see the next band of rain starting to make its way through.
:26:24. > :26:26.Pleasant tomorrow but that rain is moving from the West through the
:26:27. > :26:31.afternoon tomorrow so we started off rather cold and chilly with frost
:26:32. > :26:34.about and some fog and it will lift as the sun comes out, burning
:26:35. > :26:40.through and making things feel quite pleasant but temperatures. All. We
:26:41. > :26:44.have lighter wind but some sunshine for much of the day for most of us.
:26:45. > :26:49.Then the cloud starts to fill in ahead of this rain, moving from the
:26:50. > :26:53.West. Not huge amounts of rainfall but this is adding to what we
:26:54. > :26:58.already have on the ground, prolonging that drying out period.
:26:59. > :27:02.After tomorrow night, we shall see things continuing to get unsettled
:27:03. > :27:05.through the week and temperatures struggling a little bit but there is
:27:06. > :27:12.plenty more rain in the forecast. Becky. Our headlines... Local
:27:13. > :27:15.councils which back fracking for gas are promised more money. And a
:27:16. > :27:22.police union leader calls for forces to merge as a further round of cuts
:27:23. > :27:29.is announced. That was Midlands Today. We are back at 10pm. Goodbye.