:00:00. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Roofs ripped
:00:09. > :00:12.off, lightning strikes and hailstorms. The clean up after
:00:13. > :00:18.widespread damage caused by freak storms. Sparks were flying
:00:19. > :00:22.everywhere and property on fire. We'll show some of your pictures of
:00:23. > :00:24.the storms ` and what they left behind. Also tonight; Plagued by
:00:25. > :00:27.aggressive beggars ` protestors demand action on begging and
:00:28. > :00:34.prostitution on one of Birmingham's busiest roads. So her road has been
:00:35. > :00:38.here for a long time and it will continue to be a problem area for us
:00:39. > :00:41.that we are working to solve. Mind the gap ` Birmingham named one of
:00:42. > :00:44.the top three cities for economic growth, but there's still a wide
:00:45. > :00:47.gulf with the capital. A Spanish retirement dream that could turn to
:00:48. > :00:52.rubble ` the Worcestershire couple who could lose their savings and
:00:53. > :00:56.their property. And things were a little calmer today ` but there's a
:00:57. > :00:57.bit of everything to come this week. Starting off wet though, your full
:00:58. > :01:09.forecast is on the way. Good evening. It lasted under an
:01:10. > :01:13.hour, but the damage will take weeks to repair. The clean up has been
:01:14. > :01:18.underway after a violent storm which crossed much of the region. Roofs
:01:19. > :01:21.were ripped off when what's been described as a mini`tornado struck,
:01:22. > :01:24.hail turned roads and pavements into sheets of ice, and there were
:01:25. > :01:30.lightning strikes causing serious damage. Our reporter Bob Hockenhull
:01:31. > :01:34.has been assessing the impact. Counting the cost of a storm which
:01:35. > :01:40.has made this house in Stourbridge uninhabitable. Residents on the
:01:41. > :01:43.estate watched in awe as a bolt of lightning ripped a hole in the roof,
:01:44. > :01:50.causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage. The hail was coming
:01:51. > :01:57.down, it was like slow, I was looking out at a massive flash of
:01:58. > :02:02.light, it made us jump. We saw it hit the lamp, Sparks were flying
:02:03. > :02:06.everywhere as it hit the roof, it said the property on fire. Emergency
:02:07. > :02:09.services were on the scene within minutes. Two women were treated for
:02:10. > :02:13.smoke inhalation but the fire brigade says the consequences could
:02:14. > :02:18.have been far worse. That would have happened that night, and if they
:02:19. > :02:22.didn't have a smoke detector in the house, it could have been far more
:02:23. > :02:28.severe, and as a result of that, we could have been more casualties.
:02:29. > :02:31.This series of pictures shows the storm as it swept across the
:02:32. > :02:35.Midlands. Galley Common near Nuneaton in Warwickshire was one of
:02:36. > :02:38.the worst hit areas. A number of homes were badly damaged. Some
:02:39. > :02:44.residents had to spend the night in temporary accommodation. The whole
:02:45. > :02:50.of the Gera 's Reeves had flown across the gardens, hit cars,
:02:51. > :02:55.smashed cars, it hit my dad's bungalow in two places. The bungalow
:02:56. > :03:00.over the road, the poor lady was in the bungalow at the time and she
:03:01. > :03:03.could see the sky through the hole. As the heavens opened and the hail
:03:04. > :03:08.came down, West Midlands Fire Service control received 40
:03:09. > :03:13.weather`related calls. Some who witnessed the storm have described
:03:14. > :03:17.it as being like a mini to danger. But The Met office say it is too
:03:18. > :03:27.early to say whether it is an accurate description. Conditions
:03:28. > :03:31.were sufficient for a mini tornado to form but whether it actually
:03:32. > :03:34.happens is good to take experts quite a long time and a lot of
:03:35. > :03:42.analysis, so we should find out in the future whether we did have one
:03:43. > :03:45.or not. The storms caused havoc and some neighbours are planning a
:03:46. > :03:50.collection to help those who have been forced out of their homes. Do
:03:51. > :03:53.get in touch to let us know how you were affected by the storm. And if
:03:54. > :03:59.you have any pictures please do send them to us.
:04:00. > :04:03.You're watching Midlands Today ` good to have you with us this
:04:04. > :04:07.evening ` plenty more ahead including: Taking rambling to a
:04:08. > :04:08.whole new level, we meet the man who's walking every footpath in
:04:09. > :04:16.Shropshire, that's over 3,000 miles. One of Birmingham's busiest high
:04:17. > :04:19.streets is being plagued by aggressive beggars who are
:04:20. > :04:23.intimidating shoppers. Protestors are demanding police tackle begging
:04:24. > :04:32.and prostitution. It's happening in Soho Road in Handsworth. Lined with
:04:33. > :04:35.busy shops and restaurants, it runs past West Bromwich Albion's ground
:04:36. > :04:45.into Birmingham City Centre. Joan Cummins reports. There are more than
:04:46. > :04:47.300 shops lining the vibrant Soho Road in Handsworth, Birmingham `
:04:48. > :04:50.it's a focal point for multi`cultural shopping. But now
:04:51. > :04:53.residents and business have launched an action group saying they're not
:04:54. > :04:55.prepared to tolerate aggressive begging and prostitution on their
:04:56. > :04:58.streets. Rachel Toussaint became frustrated and organised the action
:04:59. > :05:10.group after she was verbally abused by a beggar outside her business. I
:05:11. > :05:14.don't mind being approached by people begging by people with mental
:05:15. > :05:17.health issues but it is aggressive begging, people don't understand
:05:18. > :05:21.that is what is going on and people with mental health issues should you
:05:22. > :05:29.care for properly and not just left, because they are vulnerable as we
:05:30. > :05:33.are. CCTV cameras have had to be installed at this temple off the
:05:34. > :05:36.Soho Road after drunks, drug addicts and thieves abused their open door
:05:37. > :05:40.policy. The facilities we provide have been misused by some people,
:05:41. > :05:45.who come in just the drug`taking or to beg for money, or cause a
:05:46. > :05:52.nuisance to the institution. So we had to be very strict and take extra
:05:53. > :05:58.security precautions. It's something we didn't want to have been forced
:05:59. > :06:03.into. One man said, what do you expect? This is the Soho Road. But
:06:04. > :06:08.others say enough is enough and they want the authorities to take more
:06:09. > :06:13.action. I wish there was a quick fix but there isn't. Soho Road has been
:06:14. > :06:18.here for a long time and it will continue to be a problem area for
:06:19. > :06:21.us. 20 years ago the residents of Balsall heath picketed kerb crawlers
:06:22. > :06:24.within a year the prostitutes had gone leaving behind an active
:06:25. > :06:31.community group they say the lesson is that all sides must work
:06:32. > :06:35.together. It's very much the responsibility of both the voluntary
:06:36. > :06:38.and statutory partners, and one cannot work without the other. In
:06:39. > :06:44.Handsworth, though, there is still a desire to help. I feel sorry for
:06:45. > :06:49.those people, I took a little money at dumb, just to look after them. It
:06:50. > :06:55.might be scary but I've never come across it. People who use the Soho
:06:56. > :06:59.Road to be the best in the city known for all the right reasons.
:07:00. > :07:02.A primary school in Birmingham is giving pupils every Friday afternoon
:07:03. > :07:05.off, to give teachers time to prepare their lessons. The majority
:07:06. > :07:08.of parents seem to be backing the school. But an award winning head
:07:09. > :07:12.teacher says it won't bring good results and that pupils will lose
:07:13. > :07:16.out in the long run. Our special correspondent, Peter Wilson has been
:07:17. > :07:18.investigating. Canterbury Cross Primary School in
:07:19. > :07:22.Birchfield Birmingham is allowing all pupils to leave on a friday
:07:23. > :07:33.afternoon at 1215, the changes to allow teachers more time to prepare
:07:34. > :07:37.and plan their lessons. I'm not working full`time, so this is OK for
:07:38. > :07:43.me, but if the parents are working full`time, it's hard for them. We do
:07:44. > :07:49.Friday prayers, so it gives kids the opportunity to go to a mosque and
:07:50. > :07:52.they can pray. I don't get is a bad idea, I don't see why it is in the
:07:53. > :07:55.news. But while the majority of parents appear happy with that
:07:56. > :08:05.decision, a few miles away there's a very different approach. Good
:08:06. > :08:09.afternoon year seven. Liam Nolan is head teacher of not one but by
:08:10. > :08:13.September, four Birmingham schools, all of them comprehensive. He is
:08:14. > :08:18.highly critical of the decision to close early on Friday. Our whole
:08:19. > :08:23.school closing early to prepare lessons isn't good enough. Teachers
:08:24. > :08:27.need time in the data to their perforation, they certainly have
:08:28. > :08:33.evening to do that preparation, it is not something we do here `` do
:08:34. > :08:39.their preparation. The school says they consulted widely before
:08:40. > :08:43.restructuring this all day. They say the changes mean that the amount of
:08:44. > :08:47.time that pupils spend on education has increased and that the number of
:08:48. > :08:54.teachers directly involved with pupils has also increased. With the
:08:55. > :09:00.permission of his mother I spoke to ten`year`old Aman Khan about the
:09:01. > :09:05.half day Fridays. We go to clubs and do activities. Do you think you're
:09:06. > :09:08.missing out on proper lessons? No, no. Canterbury Cross school was
:09:09. > :09:11.judged good in a recent Ofsted inspection, but with parents facing
:09:12. > :09:14.fines for taking their children out of school for holidays, timetable
:09:15. > :09:22.changes like this are likely to remain controversial.
:09:23. > :09:25.It's been confirmed that a taser was used after a scuffle broke out
:09:26. > :09:29.between rival factions at Birmingham Crown Court today. West Midlands
:09:30. > :09:33.Police say it was discharged at a man who then ran away from the
:09:34. > :09:37.court. Roads in the surrounding area were closed off while officers dealt
:09:38. > :09:40.with the incident. Birmingham band Black Sabbath has
:09:41. > :09:44.won a Grammy in Los Angeles for best hard rock/metal performance. They've
:09:45. > :09:49.just finished a world tour with two dates in the city last month,
:09:50. > :09:53.playing to 26,000 people. A volume out of a set of the most
:09:54. > :09:56.expensive books in the world is to go on display at the Library of
:09:57. > :09:59.Birmingham. Audubon's Birds of America, is a four`book compilation
:10:00. > :10:01.worth more than ?7 million, and features hundreds of life`size
:10:02. > :10:07.colour engravings of every American bird species.
:10:08. > :10:10.An independent report into the economic health of our cities says
:10:11. > :10:14.Birmingham is one of three cities showing signs of growth. But the
:10:15. > :10:18.research also suggests that the economic recovery is widening the
:10:19. > :10:26.gap between London and the rest of the country. Our business
:10:27. > :10:30.correspondent Peter Plisner reports. Serving up a recipe for success `
:10:31. > :10:31.and not just in the kitchen. This restaurant is located in
:10:32. > :10:38.Birmingham's Colmore Business District. It's one of the big growth
:10:39. > :10:42.areas of the city and here bookings a growing too. I think we reflect
:10:43. > :10:45.what's happening within the professional sector in the city, we
:10:46. > :10:53.are used very much for lunchtime trade, we are used for private
:10:54. > :10:57.functions for firms, and I think we are almost at the coal face of what
:10:58. > :11:00.is happening. Today's report talks about a ring of confidence within
:11:01. > :11:08.the city centre ` inside it businesses are performing well.
:11:09. > :11:12.There is growth and job creation in the city centre. According to the
:11:13. > :11:18.report, Birmingham is failing to punch its weight according to other
:11:19. > :11:22.cities. And here's some of the evidence ` just yards from the city
:11:23. > :11:26.centre, a car park that by now should have been turned into an
:11:27. > :11:29.office block and a not far away a derelict building. I think the
:11:30. > :11:31.report is bang on. Over many years, lemming and Manchester haven't
:11:32. > :11:35.really pulled their weight on a range of things, deployment,
:11:36. > :11:38.business start`ups, qualifications. And worst still Birmingham appears
:11:39. > :11:42.to be lagging behind when it comes to new jobs. According to the report
:11:43. > :11:45.` London has created 14 times more jobs than Birmingham. But the city
:11:46. > :11:50.leaders maintain that there a reasons why that's happened. London
:11:51. > :11:55.is bigger than Birmingham but London hasn't gone into recession. That is
:11:56. > :11:58.the reason for all of this. We have been saying for a long while that
:11:59. > :12:03.the Southeast, London, is an overheated economy, and we need to
:12:04. > :12:07.rebalance the UK economy. And one way of doing that ` according to the
:12:08. > :12:11.report ` would mean more powers being devovled to Birmingham and
:12:12. > :12:14.away from London. Well that's how it's looking for our
:12:15. > :12:17.biggest city. What about other areas of the West Midlands? Our reporters
:12:18. > :12:23.are spread across the region tonight ` we start with Sian Grezcheck in
:12:24. > :12:27.Coventry. What is the picture there? There's good news and bad news for
:12:28. > :12:30.Coventry, the bad ` 15% of the working population don't have any
:12:31. > :12:33.qualifications ` which puts us near the bottom for the whole country.
:12:34. > :12:37.And that's reflected in one of the lowest employment rates of any major
:12:38. > :12:42.city. But Coventry's near the top for property price rises. Local
:12:43. > :12:45.estate agents say that might be because people are more confident in
:12:46. > :12:49.the housing market these days and are prepared to buy. And we're a
:12:50. > :12:51.happy lot. Coventry is ranked seventh for increasing life
:12:52. > :12:54.satisfaction, which suggests we're the happiest city in the west
:12:55. > :13:00.midlands. Now over to Phil Mccann who has the picture in Stoke.
:13:01. > :13:03.Over 2,000 new private`sector jobs have been created in Stoke`on`Trent
:13:04. > :13:09.in the period this report covers ` one of the highest rates of jobs
:13:10. > :13:11.growth in the country. But a lot of them are low`skilled and low`paid,
:13:12. > :13:16.and working for employers that originate outside the city.
:13:17. > :13:22.Stoke`on`Trent is third from bottom for new business start`ups. One of
:13:23. > :13:26.the reasons according to the Centre for Cities, is the weak city centre.
:13:27. > :13:30.It's something the council's being trying to change, but in a city
:13:31. > :13:35.uniquely made up of six separate towns, that's proving very
:13:36. > :13:38.controversial. My colleague is in Worcester.
:13:39. > :13:42.The unemployment rate in Worcester is just under 6.5% ` that's better
:13:43. > :13:45.than both the regional and national average. Nearly a fifth of those are
:13:46. > :13:49.professional jobs ` a higher percentage than cities like Coventry
:13:50. > :13:53.or Wolverhampton. In Herefordshire, unemployment is even lower at 5.5% `
:13:54. > :14:00.and half the county's jobs are in the city of Hereford. There are
:14:01. > :14:03.developments and new jobs on the way for both cities with a multi million
:14:04. > :14:06.pound technology park just outside Worcester, and the continued
:14:07. > :14:10.development of the Old Market site in Hereford. Now we can go to Mark
:14:11. > :14:19.Elliott for the situation in Shropshire. Here, Telford is up near
:14:20. > :14:23.the top of the lead for the growth of private companies but it doesn't
:14:24. > :14:29.offset the number of jobs lost in the private sector `` public sector.
:14:30. > :14:34.To improve the authors of the report suggest that and focus on services
:14:35. > :14:38.and improving transport links. The Chamber of Commerce disagrees, it
:14:39. > :14:41.says that local economy is doing well and manufacturing is the right
:14:42. > :14:46.area to concentrate on. This is our top story tonight: Roofs
:14:47. > :14:51.ripped off, lightening strikes and hailstorms. The clean up after
:14:52. > :14:53.widespread damage caused by freak storms.
:14:54. > :14:57.Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly ` also in tonight's
:14:58. > :15:01.programme: FA Cup dreams over for another year, as all five Midlands
:15:02. > :15:05.teams crash out ` despite a brave performance from non`league
:15:06. > :15:09.Kidderminster. And one step at a time ` find out
:15:10. > :15:18.why this man is determined to walk every footpath in Shropshire.
:15:19. > :15:22.The dream of building a retirement home in Spain has turned into a
:15:23. > :15:27.nightmare for one Worcestershire couple. Bob and Yvonne Weafer from
:15:28. > :15:31.Redditch fear they may lose their savings in a row over planning ` and
:15:32. > :15:34.are trapped in a legal battle about whether their Spanish home was built
:15:35. > :15:42.lawfully or not. Here's Anthony Bartram. This is Andalusia in
:15:43. > :15:48.southern Spain, thousands of Brits retire here every year. Bob and
:15:49. > :15:51.Yvonne Weafer Redditch invested their life savings in the Spanish
:15:52. > :15:58.property market, hoping to join them. We went to see several
:15:59. > :16:02.builders and several sites, we had a plot where we could see for miles.
:16:03. > :16:05.But their dream has been a nightmare for the last nine years when the
:16:06. > :16:11.regional government in Andalusia declared their house illegal. We
:16:12. > :16:15.actually had the van but to bring out all the luggage, within days of
:16:16. > :16:20.that happening, we suddenly read on the Internet that the police had
:16:21. > :16:26.actually sealed the site off. Their villa is one of almost 300,000
:16:27. > :16:31.properties caught up in a legal wrangle. The local government gave
:16:32. > :16:36.them planning permission and the regional government then withdrew
:16:37. > :16:40.it. TRANSLATION: I have been asked to put together a legal proposition
:16:41. > :16:47.to the regional government which would change state law and legalise
:16:48. > :16:52.around 96% of these properties. We have lost around 250,000 euros, to
:16:53. > :17:00.that for the property, we still are the last payment of the extras. As
:17:01. > :17:04.both sides work on a solution, the Weafers can only watch their villa
:17:05. > :17:08.deteriorate as long as there `` as well as their life savings.
:17:09. > :17:09.And there will be more about the couple's story on Inside Out tonight
:17:10. > :17:20.at half past seven here on BBC One. Well there was no joy for the
:17:21. > :17:23.Midlands in the FA Cup this weekend. They're all out. But at least
:17:24. > :17:30.Walsall could celebrate with a triple Brandy! We'll get onto the FA
:17:31. > :17:37.Cup in a moment. But first, the race to win promotion from League One.
:17:38. > :17:40.For Wolves, a valuable home victory keeps them in third place. And for
:17:41. > :17:44.Walsall, the play`offs are still very much in their sights, thanks to
:17:45. > :17:47.their young striker Febian Brandy. Ian Winter has been to meet him.
:17:48. > :17:50.Showing on the laptop this lunchtime. An exclusive invitation
:17:51. > :17:54.to a Walsall blockbuster premiere, starring Febian Earlston Brandy.
:17:55. > :18:02.Aged 25 next Tuesday. And today, celebrating a landmark moment in his
:18:03. > :18:10.football career. Never scored a hat`trick before, this is my first
:18:11. > :18:17.one, left foot, right foot, header! He is like a bottle of pop, you
:18:18. > :18:20.shake him up and take the lid off! Midway through the first half Febian
:18:21. > :18:23.broke the deadlock against Notts County with his left foot, he
:18:24. > :18:26.finished off a fine flowing move to put Walsall in front. 11 minutes
:18:27. > :18:32.later, his second goal was even better. This time with his right
:18:33. > :18:35.foot ` a double Brandy was the perfect tonic for the Saddlers'
:18:36. > :18:38.travelling fans. And then 11 minutes after that, Walsall broke away down
:18:39. > :18:42.the left right and Febian leapt like a salmon on the far post to complete
:18:43. > :18:46.the perfect hat`trick with his head. And still only half`time. This
:18:47. > :18:53.wasn't just any hat`trick, it was the perfect hat`trick. That's what
:18:54. > :18:57.they call it! He invites the tackles, people don't like to diving
:18:58. > :19:04.because he has such quick feet. He is a joy to be around. He was the
:19:05. > :19:09.only one enjoying a fantastic first half. `` only one. Back in March,
:19:10. > :19:12.Nouha Dicko spent a month on loan with Wolves from Wigan. Now he's
:19:13. > :19:16.signed permanently for ?300,000. And he celebrated with a couple of goals
:19:17. > :19:21.to help his new team earn three points against Bristol City. In the
:19:22. > :19:28.second half another Frenchman, Bakary Sako, clinched a 3`1 victory.
:19:29. > :19:30.And that was a fitting tribute to the former Wolves and England
:19:31. > :19:33.goalkeeper Bert Williams, who'd earlier been given a warm round of
:19:34. > :19:37.applause, following his death last week, at the age of 93. Back at the
:19:38. > :19:39.Walsall training ground, Febian Brandy was relaxing before
:19:40. > :19:42.tomorrow's important home game against play`off rivals Swindon. He
:19:43. > :19:45.can't promise another hat`trick but if he does score, his famous
:19:46. > :19:53.celebration will definitely be on show.
:19:54. > :19:57.So a great weekend for Walsall ` and just as well after all the cup
:19:58. > :20:01.exits. Five teams involved ` and all five went out. It started on Friday
:20:02. > :20:04.when Coventry lost 4`nil at Arsenal on Friday. It ended yesterday with
:20:05. > :20:07.Stoke losing 1`nil at Chelsea. But the team that covered themselves in
:20:08. > :20:13.the most glory was non`league Kidderminster Harriers. Around 4,000
:20:14. > :20:16.Kidderminster fans made the journey to Premier League Sunderland. And a
:20:17. > :20:20.tough task got even harder when they fell behind after just five minutes.
:20:21. > :20:24.But they fought back and might have even earned themselves a replay but
:20:25. > :20:27.Ladapo shot just wide. For a while it looked as though Birmingham City
:20:28. > :20:31.would create a shock against Premier League Swansea City. Well they led
:20:32. > :20:33.1`0 until the 67th minute but the game then changed very quickly.
:20:34. > :20:40.Substitute Wilfried Bony scored twice in three minutes to give
:20:41. > :20:43.Swansea a 2`1 win at St Andrews. And Port Vale fought hard against
:20:44. > :20:48.Brighton. Chris Robertson equalised at 1`all for Vale. But in the end
:20:49. > :20:51.Brighton proved just too strong and they won the game 3`1. And Nicolas
:20:52. > :20:58.Anelka's been defending his controversial goal celebration last
:20:59. > :21:02.month. Today the Albion striker has thanked those clubs who he says have
:21:03. > :21:09.offered to sign him in the last few days. They include the Italian side
:21:10. > :21:12.Lazio. But he added: "Why should I leave my club and England? I did
:21:13. > :21:16.nothing wrong." Anelka will defend his quenelle gesture at a personal
:21:17. > :21:22.hearing with the FA at the end of next month. He says he didn't intend
:21:23. > :21:25.any offence. Thanks very much indeed.
:21:26. > :21:32.Walking in the countryside is one of our most popular pastimes. But one
:21:33. > :21:36.rambler is taking his passion to an extreme. Shropshire has the most
:21:37. > :21:40.footpaths in our region ` Trevor Allison is walking all of them `
:21:41. > :21:45.that's over 3000 miles. Laura May McMullan joined him, for a short
:21:46. > :21:49.stretch. Standing at the top of The Cliffe,
:21:50. > :21:52.it's clear to see why a quarter of Shropshire is an Area of Outstanding
:21:53. > :22:00.Beauty. Trevor Allison is passionate about protecting his local
:22:01. > :22:05.landscape. He's one of thousands of ramblers, though, that are being
:22:06. > :22:08.stopped in their tracks. Due to council budget cuts, he believes
:22:09. > :22:14.some rights of way are being neglected. The problem is that I
:22:15. > :22:22.come across are broken dates, locked gates, barbed wire fences, electric
:22:23. > :22:29.fences. This has been put here by the farmer. The step is loose, it is
:22:30. > :22:34.quite a big step over this bar. It's a proper style, it has two steps but
:22:35. > :22:38.it's obvious that this has fallen out of use. A dog owner out walking
:22:39. > :22:46.on Nescliffe Hill today agreed there are problems. I have had problems
:22:47. > :22:53.with some styles on public footpath near where I live, I have written
:22:54. > :23:00.and complained to Shropshire Council. Nothing has been done as
:23:01. > :23:02.yet. In a recent report by the Ramblers Association, more than
:23:03. > :23:07.100,000 path problems were reported to councils across England but
:23:08. > :23:10.hadn't been fixed. Here in Shropshire, a freedom of information
:23:11. > :23:16.request last July showed there were 13,000 problems that hadn't been
:23:17. > :23:18.attended to. In a statement Shropshire Council acknowledges that
:23:19. > :23:24.paths haven't been maintained as well as they have in the past. It
:23:25. > :23:27.wants to work closely with landowners and community groups and
:23:28. > :23:35.also increase the number of volunteers. Trevor is three years
:23:36. > :23:41.into a mission to walk and assess every right of way in Shropshire ` a
:23:42. > :23:51.journey of 3,500 miles. So far he's been obstructed more than 400 times.
:23:52. > :23:55.We saw earlier in the programme how freak storms damaged part of the
:23:56. > :23:56.Midlands over the weekend, some have called it a mini tornado ` but
:23:57. > :24:07.Rebecca what was it? Actually, what it was was a trough
:24:08. > :24:12.moving through a hole in maritime air mass. What that actually means
:24:13. > :24:19.is we have low pressure moving through cold, moist air. That means
:24:20. > :24:22.that milder air started storm clouds forming, which led to hail, thunder
:24:23. > :24:26.and lightning. This was happening at the time of the day where
:24:27. > :24:31.temperatures were at their mildest so it was much more intense. It's a
:24:32. > :24:38.little calmer as we moved through the next few days. By the time we of
:24:39. > :24:45.the week, things start start to get much colder. We are heading for our
:24:46. > :24:49.first cold snap. Those showers, continuing to blow through the
:24:50. > :24:53.region tonight, some of them will be quite heavy at times. Still plenty
:24:54. > :24:57.of cloud cover about, which will help temperatures a little bit.
:24:58. > :25:02.Rather breezy as well. We will see temperatures falling to about three
:25:03. > :25:11.or four Celsius, but not too cold for the time we wake up tomorrow.
:25:12. > :25:16.Plenty more showers to come. We start the a rather wet, doesn't
:25:17. > :25:22.change much, I'm afraid. We will see the sun at times but it will be few
:25:23. > :25:26.and far between, some showers will be quite heavy as well. Temperatures
:25:27. > :25:30.will get up to about seven or eight Celsius but the wind is going to
:25:31. > :25:35.make them feel a little colder. Through Tuesday night, still we keep
:25:36. > :25:41.those showers. We start to see a little bit of a change. The wind
:25:42. > :25:44.direction is changing to a southeasterly, that southeasterly
:25:45. > :25:50.wind is the start of things feeling colder. By Wednesday, it is still
:25:51. > :25:55.going to be a wet day but it is starting to feel much colder.
:25:56. > :25:59.Temperatures are taking a tumble. Why Thursday, the wind directions
:26:00. > :26:05.change to an easterly direction, so it is feeling much colder. We could
:26:06. > :26:08.see some wintry showers. As we head through towards the end of the
:26:09. > :26:12.week, those temperatures are continuing to tumble. Wednesday
:26:13. > :26:18.looking particularly cold. But plenty more rain to come before
:26:19. > :26:21.that. And that wind strengths are quite strong.
:26:22. > :26:27.Tonight's headlines from the BBC: Angry residents in Somerset turn on
:26:28. > :26:33.the environment minister ` they've been flooded for weeks, farms and
:26:34. > :26:37.homes remain under water. Jude Law gives evidence at the hacking trial
:26:38. > :26:40.` he finds out for the first time a relative took money from a newspaper
:26:41. > :26:43.Roofs ripped off, lightning strikes and hailstorms. The clean up after
:26:44. > :26:47.widespread damage caused by freak storms Edward Harris got in touch on
:26:48. > :26:48.Twitter and sent us this great picture taken from his kitchen
:26:49. > :27:12.window in Rugby. Lots of you have been telling us
:27:13. > :27:16.about the storm. It was certainly very dramatic. That was Midlands
:27:17. > :27:19.Today. I'll be back at ten o'clock with more on the varying economic
:27:20. > :27:22.recovery across our region. Have a great evening.