27/01/2014 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Roofs ripped

off, lightning strikes and hailstorms. The clean up after

widespread damage caused by freak storms. Sparks were flying

everywhere and property on fire. We'll show some of your pictures of

the storms ` and what they left behind. Also tonight; Plagued by

aggressive beggars ` protestors demand action on begging and

prostitution on one of Birmingham's busiest roads. So her road has been

here for a long time and it will continue to be a problem area for us

that we are working to solve. Mind the gap ` Birmingham named one of

the top three cities for economic growth, but there's still a wide

gulf with the capital. A Spanish retirement dream that could turn to

rubble ` the Worcestershire couple who could lose their savings and

their property. And things were a little calmer today ` but there's a

bit of everything to come this week. Starting off wet though, your full

forecast is on the way. Good evening. It lasted under an

hour, but the damage will take weeks to repair. The clean up has been

underway after a violent storm which crossed much of the region. Roofs

were ripped off when what's been described as a mini`tornado struck,

hail turned roads and pavements into sheets of ice, and there were

lightning strikes causing serious damage. Our reporter Bob Hockenhull

has been assessing the impact. Counting the cost of a storm which

has made this house in Stourbridge uninhabitable. Residents on the

estate watched in awe as a bolt of lightning ripped a hole in the roof,

causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage. The hail was coming

down, it was like slow, I was looking out at a massive flash of

light, it made us jump. We saw it hit the lamp, Sparks were flying

everywhere as it hit the roof, it said the property on fire. Emergency

services were on the scene within minutes. Two women were treated for

smoke inhalation but the fire brigade says the consequences could

have been far worse. That would have happened that night, and if they

didn't have a smoke detector in the house, it could have been far more

severe, and as a result of that, we could have been more casualties.

This series of pictures shows the storm as it swept across the

Midlands. Galley Common near Nuneaton in Warwickshire was one of

the worst hit areas. A number of homes were badly damaged. Some

residents had to spend the night in temporary accommodation. The whole

of the Gera 's Reeves had flown across the gardens, hit cars,

smashed cars, it hit my dad's bungalow in two places. The bungalow

over the road, the poor lady was in the bungalow at the time and she

could see the sky through the hole. As the heavens opened and the hail

came down, West Midlands Fire Service control received 40

weather`related calls. Some who witnessed the storm have described

it as being like a mini to danger. But The Met office say it is too

early to say whether it is an accurate description. Conditions

were sufficient for a mini tornado to form but whether it actually

happens is good to take experts quite a long time and a lot of

analysis, so we should find out in the future whether we did have one

or not. The storms caused havoc and some neighbours are planning a

collection to help those who have been forced out of their homes. Do

get in touch to let us know how you were affected by the storm. And if

you have any pictures please do send them to us.

You're watching Midlands Today ` good to have you with us this

evening ` plenty more ahead including: Taking rambling to a

whole new level, we meet the man who's walking every footpath in

Shropshire, that's over 3,000 miles. One of Birmingham's busiest high

streets is being plagued by aggressive beggars who are

intimidating shoppers. Protestors are demanding police tackle begging

and prostitution. It's happening in Soho Road in Handsworth. Lined with

busy shops and restaurants, it runs past West Bromwich Albion's ground

into Birmingham City Centre. Joan Cummins reports. There are more than

300 shops lining the vibrant Soho Road in Handsworth, Birmingham `

it's a focal point for multi`cultural shopping. But now

residents and business have launched an action group saying they're not

prepared to tolerate aggressive begging and prostitution on their

streets. Rachel Toussaint became frustrated and organised the action

group after she was verbally abused by a beggar outside her business. I

don't mind being approached by people begging by people with mental

health issues but it is aggressive begging, people don't understand

that is what is going on and people with mental health issues should you

care for properly and not just left, because they are vulnerable as we

are. CCTV cameras have had to be installed at this temple off the

Soho Road after drunks, drug addicts and thieves abused their open door

policy. The facilities we provide have been misused by some people,

who come in just the drug`taking or to beg for money, or cause a

nuisance to the institution. So we had to be very strict and take extra

security precautions. It's something we didn't want to have been forced

into. One man said, what do you expect? This is the Soho Road. But

others say enough is enough and they want the authorities to take more

action. I wish there was a quick fix but there isn't. Soho Road has been

here for a long time and it will continue to be a problem area for

us. 20 years ago the residents of Balsall heath picketed kerb crawlers

within a year the prostitutes had gone leaving behind an active

community group they say the lesson is that all sides must work

together. It's very much the responsibility of both the voluntary

and statutory partners, and one cannot work without the other. In

Handsworth, though, there is still a desire to help. I feel sorry for

those people, I took a little money at dumb, just to look after them. It

might be scary but I've never come across it. People who use the Soho

Road to be the best in the city known for all the right reasons.

A primary school in Birmingham is giving pupils every Friday afternoon

off, to give teachers time to prepare their lessons. The majority

of parents seem to be backing the school. But an award winning head

teacher says it won't bring good results and that pupils will lose

out in the long run. Our special correspondent, Peter Wilson has been

investigating. Canterbury Cross Primary School in

Birchfield Birmingham is allowing all pupils to leave on a friday

afternoon at 1215, the changes to allow teachers more time to prepare

and plan their lessons. I'm not working full`time, so this is OK for

me, but if the parents are working full`time, it's hard for them. We do

Friday prayers, so it gives kids the opportunity to go to a mosque and

they can pray. I don't get is a bad idea, I don't see why it is in the

news. But while the majority of parents appear happy with that

decision, a few miles away there's a very different approach. Good

afternoon year seven. Liam Nolan is head teacher of not one but by

September, four Birmingham schools, all of them comprehensive. He is

highly critical of the decision to close early on Friday. Our whole

school closing early to prepare lessons isn't good enough. Teachers

need time in the data to their perforation, they certainly have

evening to do that preparation, it is not something we do here `` do

their preparation. The school says they consulted widely before

restructuring this all day. They say the changes mean that the amount of

time that pupils spend on education has increased and that the number of

teachers directly involved with pupils has also increased. With the

permission of his mother I spoke to ten`year`old Aman Khan about the

half day Fridays. We go to clubs and do activities. Do you think you're

missing out on proper lessons? No, no. Canterbury Cross school was

judged good in a recent Ofsted inspection, but with parents facing

fines for taking their children out of school for holidays, timetable

changes like this are likely to remain controversial.

It's been confirmed that a taser was used after a scuffle broke out

between rival factions at Birmingham Crown Court today. West Midlands

Police say it was discharged at a man who then ran away from the

court. Roads in the surrounding area were closed off while officers dealt

with the incident. Birmingham band Black Sabbath has

won a Grammy in Los Angeles for best hard rock/metal performance. They've

just finished a world tour with two dates in the city last month,

playing to 26,000 people. A volume out of a set of the most

expensive books in the world is to go on display at the Library of

Birmingham. Audubon's Birds of America, is a four`book compilation

worth more than ?7 million, and features hundreds of life`size

colour engravings of every American bird species.

An independent report into the economic health of our cities says

Birmingham is one of three cities showing signs of growth. But the

research also suggests that the economic recovery is widening the

gap between London and the rest of the country. Our business

correspondent Peter Plisner reports. Serving up a recipe for success `

and not just in the kitchen. This restaurant is located in

Birmingham's Colmore Business District. It's one of the big growth

areas of the city and here bookings a growing too. I think we reflect

what's happening within the professional sector in the city, we

are used very much for lunchtime trade, we are used for private

functions for firms, and I think we are almost at the coal face of what

is happening. Today's report talks about a ring of confidence within

the city centre ` inside it businesses are performing well.

There is growth and job creation in the city centre. According to the

report, Birmingham is failing to punch its weight according to other

cities. And here's some of the evidence ` just yards from the city

centre, a car park that by now should have been turned into an

office block and a not far away a derelict building. I think the

report is bang on. Over many years, lemming and Manchester haven't

really pulled their weight on a range of things, deployment,

business start`ups, qualifications. And worst still Birmingham appears

to be lagging behind when it comes to new jobs. According to the report

` London has created 14 times more jobs than Birmingham. But the city

leaders maintain that there a reasons why that's happened. London

is bigger than Birmingham but London hasn't gone into recession. That is

the reason for all of this. We have been saying for a long while that

the Southeast, London, is an overheated economy, and we need to

rebalance the UK economy. And one way of doing that ` according to the

report ` would mean more powers being devovled to Birmingham and

away from London. Well that's how it's looking for our

biggest city. What about other areas of the West Midlands? Our reporters

are spread across the region tonight ` we start with Sian Grezcheck in

Coventry. What is the picture there? There's good news and bad news for

Coventry, the bad ` 15% of the working population don't have any

qualifications ` which puts us near the bottom for the whole country.

And that's reflected in one of the lowest employment rates of any major

city. But Coventry's near the top for property price rises. Local

estate agents say that might be because people are more confident in

the housing market these days and are prepared to buy. And we're a

happy lot. Coventry is ranked seventh for increasing life

satisfaction, which suggests we're the happiest city in the west

midlands. Now over to Phil Mccann who has the picture in Stoke.

Over 2,000 new private`sector jobs have been created in Stoke`on`Trent

in the period this report covers ` one of the highest rates of jobs

growth in the country. But a lot of them are low`skilled and low`paid,

and working for employers that originate outside the city.

Stoke`on`Trent is third from bottom for new business start`ups. One of

the reasons according to the Centre for Cities, is the weak city centre.

It's something the council's being trying to change, but in a city

uniquely made up of six separate towns, that's proving very

controversial. My colleague is in Worcester.

The unemployment rate in Worcester is just under 6.5% ` that's better

than both the regional and national average. Nearly a fifth of those are

professional jobs ` a higher percentage than cities like Coventry

or Wolverhampton. In Herefordshire, unemployment is even lower at 5.5% `

and half the county's jobs are in the city of Hereford. There are

developments and new jobs on the way for both cities with a multi million

pound technology park just outside Worcester, and the continued

development of the Old Market site in Hereford. Now we can go to Mark

Elliott for the situation in Shropshire. Here, Telford is up near

the top of the lead for the growth of private companies but it doesn't

offset the number of jobs lost in the private sector `` public sector.

To improve the authors of the report suggest that and focus on services

and improving transport links. The Chamber of Commerce disagrees, it

says that local economy is doing well and manufacturing is the right

area to concentrate on. This is our top story tonight: Roofs

ripped off, lightening strikes and hailstorms. The clean up after

widespread damage caused by freak storms.

Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly ` also in tonight's

programme: FA Cup dreams over for another year, as all five Midlands

teams crash out ` despite a brave performance from non`league

Kidderminster. And one step at a time ` find out

why this man is determined to walk every footpath in Shropshire.

The dream of building a retirement home in Spain has turned into a

nightmare for one Worcestershire couple. Bob and Yvonne Weafer from

Redditch fear they may lose their savings in a row over planning ` and

are trapped in a legal battle about whether their Spanish home was built

lawfully or not. Here's Anthony Bartram. This is Andalusia in

southern Spain, thousands of Brits retire here every year. Bob and

Yvonne Weafer Redditch invested their life savings in the Spanish

property market, hoping to join them. We went to see several

builders and several sites, we had a plot where we could see for miles.

But their dream has been a nightmare for the last nine years when the

regional government in Andalusia declared their house illegal. We

actually had the van but to bring out all the luggage, within days of

that happening, we suddenly read on the Internet that the police had

actually sealed the site off. Their villa is one of almost 300,000

properties caught up in a legal wrangle. The local government gave

them planning permission and the regional government then withdrew

it. TRANSLATION: I have been asked to put together a legal proposition

to the regional government which would change state law and legalise

around 96% of these properties. We have lost around 250,000 euros, to

that for the property, we still are the last payment of the extras. As

both sides work on a solution, the Weafers can only watch their villa

deteriorate as long as there `` as well as their life savings.

And there will be more about the couple's story on Inside Out tonight

at half past seven here on BBC One. Well there was no joy for the

Midlands in the FA Cup this weekend. They're all out. But at least

Walsall could celebrate with a triple Brandy! We'll get onto the FA

Cup in a moment. But first, the race to win promotion from League One.

For Wolves, a valuable home victory keeps them in third place. And for

Walsall, the play`offs are still very much in their sights, thanks to

their young striker Febian Brandy. Ian Winter has been to meet him.

Showing on the laptop this lunchtime. An exclusive invitation

to a Walsall blockbuster premiere, starring Febian Earlston Brandy.

Aged 25 next Tuesday. And today, celebrating a landmark moment in his

football career. Never scored a hat`trick before, this is my first

one, left foot, right foot, header! He is like a bottle of pop, you

shake him up and take the lid off! Midway through the first half Febian

broke the deadlock against Notts County with his left foot, he

finished off a fine flowing move to put Walsall in front. 11 minutes

later, his second goal was even better. This time with his right

foot ` a double Brandy was the perfect tonic for the Saddlers'

travelling fans. And then 11 minutes after that, Walsall broke away down

the left right and Febian leapt like a salmon on the far post to complete

the perfect hat`trick with his head. And still only half`time. This

wasn't just any hat`trick, it was the perfect hat`trick. That's what

they call it! He invites the tackles, people don't like to diving

because he has such quick feet. He is a joy to be around. He was the

only one enjoying a fantastic first half. `` only one. Back in March,

Nouha Dicko spent a month on loan with Wolves from Wigan. Now he's

signed permanently for ?300,000. And he celebrated with a couple of goals

to help his new team earn three points against Bristol City. In the

second half another Frenchman, Bakary Sako, clinched a 3`1 victory.

And that was a fitting tribute to the former Wolves and England

goalkeeper Bert Williams, who'd earlier been given a warm round of

applause, following his death last week, at the age of 93. Back at the

Walsall training ground, Febian Brandy was relaxing before

tomorrow's important home game against play`off rivals Swindon. He

can't promise another hat`trick but if he does score, his famous

celebration will definitely be on show.

So a great weekend for Walsall ` and just as well after all the cup

exits. Five teams involved ` and all five went out. It started on Friday

when Coventry lost 4`nil at Arsenal on Friday. It ended yesterday with

Stoke losing 1`nil at Chelsea. But the team that covered themselves in

the most glory was non`league Kidderminster Harriers. Around 4,000

Kidderminster fans made the journey to Premier League Sunderland. And a

tough task got even harder when they fell behind after just five minutes.

But they fought back and might have even earned themselves a replay but

Ladapo shot just wide. For a while it looked as though Birmingham City

would create a shock against Premier League Swansea City. Well they led

1`0 until the 67th minute but the game then changed very quickly.

Substitute Wilfried Bony scored twice in three minutes to give

Swansea a 2`1 win at St Andrews. And Port Vale fought hard against

Brighton. Chris Robertson equalised at 1`all for Vale. But in the end

Brighton proved just too strong and they won the game 3`1. And Nicolas

Anelka's been defending his controversial goal celebration last

month. Today the Albion striker has thanked those clubs who he says have

offered to sign him in the last few days. They include the Italian side

Lazio. But he added: "Why should I leave my club and England? I did

nothing wrong." Anelka will defend his quenelle gesture at a personal

hearing with the FA at the end of next month. He says he didn't intend

any offence. Thanks very much indeed.

Walking in the countryside is one of our most popular pastimes. But one

rambler is taking his passion to an extreme. Shropshire has the most

footpaths in our region ` Trevor Allison is walking all of them `

that's over 3000 miles. Laura May McMullan joined him, for a short

stretch. Standing at the top of The Cliffe,

it's clear to see why a quarter of Shropshire is an Area of Outstanding

Beauty. Trevor Allison is passionate about protecting his local

landscape. He's one of thousands of ramblers, though, that are being

stopped in their tracks. Due to council budget cuts, he believes

some rights of way are being neglected. The problem is that I

come across are broken dates, locked gates, barbed wire fences, electric

fences. This has been put here by the farmer. The step is loose, it is

quite a big step over this bar. It's a proper style, it has two steps but

it's obvious that this has fallen out of use. A dog owner out walking

on Nescliffe Hill today agreed there are problems. I have had problems

with some styles on public footpath near where I live, I have written

and complained to Shropshire Council. Nothing has been done as

yet. In a recent report by the Ramblers Association, more than

100,000 path problems were reported to councils across England but

hadn't been fixed. Here in Shropshire, a freedom of information

request last July showed there were 13,000 problems that hadn't been

attended to. In a statement Shropshire Council acknowledges that

paths haven't been maintained as well as they have in the past. It

wants to work closely with landowners and community groups and

also increase the number of volunteers. Trevor is three years

into a mission to walk and assess every right of way in Shropshire ` a

journey of 3,500 miles. So far he's been obstructed more than 400 times.

We saw earlier in the programme how freak storms damaged part of the

Midlands over the weekend, some have called it a mini tornado ` but

Rebecca what was it? Actually, what it was was a trough

moving through a hole in maritime air mass. What that actually means

is we have low pressure moving through cold, moist air. That means

that milder air started storm clouds forming, which led to hail, thunder

and lightning. This was happening at the time of the day where

temperatures were at their mildest so it was much more intense. It's a

little calmer as we moved through the next few days. By the time we of

the week, things start start to get much colder. We are heading for our

first cold snap. Those showers, continuing to blow through the

region tonight, some of them will be quite heavy at times. Still plenty

of cloud cover about, which will help temperatures a little bit.

Rather breezy as well. We will see temperatures falling to about three

or four Celsius, but not too cold for the time we wake up tomorrow.

Plenty more showers to come. We start the a rather wet, doesn't

change much, I'm afraid. We will see the sun at times but it will be few

and far between, some showers will be quite heavy as well. Temperatures

will get up to about seven or eight Celsius but the wind is going to

make them feel a little colder. Through Tuesday night, still we keep

those showers. We start to see a little bit of a change. The wind

direction is changing to a southeasterly, that southeasterly

wind is the start of things feeling colder. By Wednesday, it is still

going to be a wet day but it is starting to feel much colder.

Temperatures are taking a tumble. Why Thursday, the wind directions

change to an easterly direction, so it is feeling much colder. We could

see some wintry showers. As we head through towards the end of the

week, those temperatures are continuing to tumble. Wednesday

looking particularly cold. But plenty more rain to come before

that. And that wind strengths are quite strong.

Tonight's headlines from the BBC: Angry residents in Somerset turn on

the environment minister ` they've been flooded for weeks, farms and

homes remain under water. Jude Law gives evidence at the hacking trial

` he finds out for the first time a relative took money from a newspaper

Roofs ripped off, lightning strikes and hailstorms. The clean up after

widespread damage caused by freak storms Edward Harris got in touch on

Twitter and sent us this great picture taken from his kitchen

window in Rugby. Lots of you have been telling us

about the storm. It was certainly very dramatic. That was Midlands

Today. I'll be back at ten o'clock with more on the varying economic

recovery across our region. Have a great evening.