:00:00. > :00:00.the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me, and on
:00:00. > :00:08.If Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Staff
:00:09. > :00:18.injured and protestors arrested in violent clashes at the University of
:00:19. > :00:25.Birmingham. Just a small minority have caused trouble. Police describe
:00:26. > :00:29.it as serious public disorder. We'll be talking live to a protest leader
:00:30. > :00:32.to find out what they're trying to achieve and whether he condones last
:00:33. > :00:35.night's violence. Also tonight, a care worker filmed rifling through a
:00:36. > :00:38.handbag and stealing from the elderly woman she was supposed to be
:00:39. > :00:45.looking after. It was really hard to watch and to have the know it was
:00:46. > :00:55.true. How drones and robots are revolutionising agriculture Absolute
:00:56. > :01:00.screamer: one of seven goals in an absolute thriller at Villa last
:01:01. > :01:05.night. This match could not be improved upon. And today we finally
:01:06. > :01:08.got some wintry weather with snow flurries across the West Midlands,
:01:09. > :01:11.it's all change again tomorrow though as we turn our attention to
:01:12. > :01:18.flooding. Your full forecast is coming up later.
:01:19. > :01:21.Good evening. Students clashed with police during a demonstration at the
:01:22. > :01:25.University of Birmingham that officers said escalated into a
:01:26. > :01:28.serious public order incident. 13 people were arrested after violence
:01:29. > :01:31.erupted ` and the university said smoke bombs and fireworks were
:01:32. > :01:42.thrown, doors were smashed down and staff injured on its Edgbaston
:01:43. > :01:46.Campus last night. The protest was being staged against rising tuition
:01:47. > :01:48.fees and low staff wages. Supporters of Defend Education Birmingham
:01:49. > :01:56.unfurled a banner on the university clock tower and occupied two
:01:57. > :02:00.buildings. These were the scenes as a rally
:02:01. > :02:03.turned ugly at the University of Birmingham. Students from around the
:02:04. > :02:06.country had travelled here. The University said staff were injured,
:02:07. > :02:10.fireworks and smoke bombs thrown and doors smashed down. Protesters claim
:02:11. > :02:12.they were "kettled" by police ` something officers strongly refute
:02:13. > :02:15.Two groups ` Defend Education Birmingham and the National Campaign
:02:16. > :02:26.Against Fees and Cuts were involved in the rally. I was trapped on a
:02:27. > :02:40.rooftop forth for hours with the police not letting anyone call. But
:02:41. > :02:43.the university's Guild of Students has expressed its disappointment.
:02:44. > :02:46.Graffiti appearing to promote the demonstration was still in evidence
:02:47. > :02:56.today where we spoke to a student who condemned the protests: they are
:02:57. > :03:02.a minority and did not represent the student body and they are not
:03:03. > :03:10.representing students and are damaging university property. How
:03:11. > :03:21.much damage has been done? There is graffiti. The University has issued
:03:22. > :03:26.a statement saying that while peaceful protest is part of
:03:27. > :03:31.university life, they will not condone damage to property. It
:03:32. > :03:34.emerged tonight that some students are still occupying a building on
:03:35. > :03:59.campus. A legal notice for them to leave is expected to be enforced on
:04:00. > :04:02.Monday. I'm joined now from outside
:04:03. > :04:05.Birmingham University by Michael Chessum, of the National Campaign
:04:06. > :04:08.against Fees and Cuts. Good evening. People were hurt last night. Do you
:04:09. > :04:13.defend the actions of your supporters? Violence came
:04:14. > :04:22.overwhelmingly from police and security guards.
:04:23. > :04:30.What is the point of the whole thing? We are fighting for a free
:04:31. > :04:36.and accessible education for everyone which is democratic and
:04:37. > :04:42.does not rely on exploiting staff and education workers. That was the
:04:43. > :04:50.message of the protest yesterday and the message of the growing student
:04:51. > :04:52.movement. The Guild of Students at Birmingham University have distanced
:04:53. > :05:08.themselves from your protest ` hardly a recommendation. I think the
:05:09. > :05:14.statement was unfortunate but I think that the message that was
:05:15. > :05:24.taken out yesterday and spread across the country has an enormous
:05:25. > :05:32.backing and is very widespread. At the University say you are on your
:05:33. > :05:46.representative. `` on representative. The student movement
:05:47. > :05:57.is far more representative of the filling on campus. From one
:05:58. > :06:00.university to another` Staffordshire University has today confirmed plans
:06:01. > :06:03.to shut its Stafford campus and move students to Stoke`on`Trent. Nearly
:06:04. > :06:06.3,000 students will move from the Beaconside site to the university's
:06:07. > :06:10.main campus by 2016. The university said there would be job losses as a
:06:11. > :06:13.result of the decision. Here's our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper.
:06:14. > :06:15.Moving from Beaconside is a decision that's been widely anticipated and
:06:16. > :06:20.widely criticised by some students The decision was made by the
:06:21. > :06:27.university's Board of Governors. There are a lot of good facilities
:06:28. > :06:42.but now it is going to stoke and I do not think they will have the
:06:43. > :06:48.space. The decision was made by the University board of governors. The
:06:49. > :06:52.university says it has made the decision because it has made
:06:53. > :06:56.economic sense. The Chair of the Board of Governors wouldn't be drawn
:06:57. > :07:00.on how many job losses there will be or on the precise plans for the
:07:01. > :07:04.future of the buildings in Stafford. It is not appropriate or sensible to
:07:05. > :07:10.have two campuses when we can accommodate all students on one
:07:11. > :07:15.campus. The priority is to release money and spend it on the right
:07:16. > :07:17.things for students. This is where most of the university's 9,000
:07:18. > :07:20.full`time students will study, in Stoke`on `Trent. The university will
:07:21. > :07:23.be looking at investment needed here to accommodate extra students.
:07:24. > :07:33.During the transition period help will be offered by their union, the
:07:34. > :07:38.NUS. I think we have to support students wherever they go. Back in
:07:39. > :07:41.Stafford, Rich Bishop is a graduate who started a software development
:07:42. > :07:46.company more than a decade ago. He's now considering moving, too. I am
:07:47. > :07:51.absolutely gutted. The majority of staff who work here come from the
:07:52. > :07:57.University but with the university not there any more there is no point
:07:58. > :08:00.of us being here. The university says it will aim to minimise
:08:01. > :08:08.disruption to students at a time when competition in the university
:08:09. > :08:11.sector has never been higher. I'm joined now by Professor Michael
:08:12. > :08:20.Gunn, Vice Chancellor at Staffordshire University. Good
:08:21. > :08:24.evening. The town's MP, Jeremy Lefroy, says you've dealt a blow to
:08:25. > :08:31.Stafford. Can you understand his point of view? We are concentrating
:08:32. > :08:36.on the student experience and we believe this is important for
:08:37. > :08:44.students who wish to study with us and for the future of the
:08:45. > :08:52.University. A successful university and Stoke will benefit the whole of
:08:53. > :08:56.the county. There's a firm in our report that says it could pull out
:08:57. > :08:59.of Stafford now ` is it any concern that you could now spark a brain
:09:00. > :09:03.drain or business drain? We recognise there are downsides and we
:09:04. > :09:13.do think it is a positive picture but we do recognise the is the
:09:14. > :09:22.downside for Stafford. We would love to have health sciences pro version
:09:23. > :09:25.in the town centre. But the University of Staffordshire is now
:09:26. > :09:35.basically the University of Stoke`on`Trent Is this purely a
:09:36. > :09:46.financial decision? No, some of our provision will still be in Stafford.
:09:47. > :09:52.We like to offer provision across the county and we have a campus in
:09:53. > :10:04.Lichfield and partners in further education colleges that do some of
:10:05. > :10:10.our degrees across Staffordshire. What do you think this will this do
:10:11. > :10:18.for the city? It will bring activity for the city and our students will
:10:19. > :10:30.get a lot out of a vibrant city. They will contribute to the life of
:10:31. > :10:39.the city. Thanks for joining us this evening. You're watching Midlands
:10:40. > :10:56.Today from the BBC. I do not see the point in measuring life in terms of
:10:57. > :11:00.time but in what I achieved. A carer who was caught on CCTV stealing
:11:01. > :11:03.money from the purse of an elderly woman has been given a suspended
:11:04. > :11:05.prison sentence. Nadia Summers admitted theft after the suspicious
:11:06. > :11:08.family of Lynette Nardone installed secret cameras in her Wolverhampton
:11:09. > :11:12.home. Ben Godfrey reports. Nadia Summers is supposed to be a
:11:13. > :11:15.carer but how many carers do this? The 24`year`old wastes no time in
:11:16. > :11:22.rifling through her employer's purse before stuffing three ?20 notes into
:11:23. > :11:36.her bra. She was supposed to be caring for Lynette Nardone at her
:11:37. > :11:38.home in South Staffordshire. The 64`year`old suffers from a
:11:39. > :11:41.neuro`degenerative condition. She took on Summers privately to assist
:11:42. > :11:44.with everyday tasks, like washing and getting dressed. Lynnette finds
:11:45. > :11:51.the betrayal too upsetting to talk about. I felt sick and was really
:11:52. > :11:56.angry that someone any of care and trust in somebody that she was
:11:57. > :11:59.genuinely fond of did that to her. This afternoon, Nadia Summers, from
:12:00. > :12:02.Codsall, seen here with the brown bag, ` was given a suspended 12`week
:12:03. > :12:06.jail term, ordered to do community service and pay Lynnette Nardone
:12:07. > :12:16.?1000 in compensation. She had nothing to say. I do not know why
:12:17. > :12:20.she did it is and I do not want this story to tarnish good carers but it
:12:21. > :12:25.is really tough for everybody involved. The family had suspicions
:12:26. > :12:28.about Summers stealing from a purse last November and secretly installed
:12:29. > :12:32.this CCTV system which cost them ?1000. And it's not the first time a
:12:33. > :12:35.carer has been caught red`handed. These images from 2011 show a carer
:12:36. > :12:38.trying to steal from a safe. Another family, in Birmingham, targeted for
:12:39. > :12:42.their money by someone they thought they could trust. Trevor Thomas has
:12:43. > :12:46.cerebral palsy ` his mother is an advisor on safeguarding adults. She
:12:47. > :12:56.wants local councils to offer security cameras for families
:12:57. > :12:58.funding their own care. How can somebody who has communication
:12:59. > :13:06.problems tell people what is happening to them? Posters have gone
:13:07. > :13:10.all round the city but we need to understand the our hidden deceitful
:13:11. > :13:14.people in every profession. Tonight, the question many families are
:13:15. > :13:38.asking is this. Why should it take CCTV evidence to expose the minority
:13:39. > :13:41.who really couldn't care less? Could thousands of motorists have
:13:42. > :13:44.fines they've received for driving in bus lanes in Birmingham
:13:45. > :13:47.scrapped? More than 80,000 tickets have been issued since new lanes
:13:48. > :13:49.with cameras were introduced. But, after some drivers appealed, a
:13:50. > :13:53.traffic inspector's now to decide whether the lanes are fair and
:13:54. > :13:56.legal. Bob Hockenhull is in the city centre tonight. Bob, explain the
:13:57. > :13:59.background to this? What are the chances, do you think, that the
:14:00. > :14:03.council will have to pay back the fines? Many of the drivers have been
:14:04. > :14:05.caught here, driving southbound on Priory Queensway. Motorists have
:14:06. > :14:08.complained they couldn't see the signs early enough to avoid the bus
:14:09. > :14:12.lane.The council's made ?1.7 million pounds in fines in just three
:14:13. > :14:15.months. The individual fine is ?60, cut in half if paid promptly.Some of
:14:16. > :14:18.those caught by the cameras have appealed to the Independent Traffic
:14:19. > :14:26.Penalty Tribunal questioning the legality of the lanes. Now there's
:14:27. > :14:29.to be a series of hearings at a hotel in Birmingham next month to
:14:30. > :14:31.determine whether their fines were fair.The adjudicator will hear about
:14:32. > :14:35.20 cases, some of those appealing have had multiple fines.One of the
:14:36. > :14:39.main campaigners is Ben Cheney, and I spoke to him a little earlier What
:14:40. > :14:42.chances are there that the council will have to pay back the fines?
:14:43. > :14:45.Well while he's here, the adjudicator will make a site visit.
:14:46. > :14:48.If he agrees the signs don't give ample warning, that will open the
:14:49. > :14:51.floodgates for many more appeals. When you see these people driving up
:14:52. > :14:54.from the children's Lane doing a turn that they are not aware is
:14:55. > :15:02.illegal and that they are being fined repeatedly, that is my
:15:03. > :15:09.concern, not my ?60 and ?90. What chances are that the council will
:15:10. > :15:15.have to pay back the findings? The adjudicator is coming to make the
:15:16. > :15:21.visit and if he decides the signs of not adequate enough that will open
:15:22. > :15:28.the floodgates. There are a lot of people angry about this and that has
:15:29. > :15:35.been a case in Colchester where Essex County Council has paid back
:15:36. > :15:40.in million pounds in fines because the signs were not adequate.
:15:41. > :15:47.Birmingham City Council is not doing that will stop I've spoken to the
:15:48. > :15:51.council and it says in its view "the bus lane signs are compliant and
:15:52. > :15:59.drivers were given plenty of notice that it would be enforcing this,
:16:00. > :16:08.including a period of grace." This is our top story tonight: Staff
:16:09. > :16:10.injured and protestors arrested in violent clashes at the University of
:16:11. > :16:14.Birmingham. Rebecca's standing by to tell us about yet more rain and also
:16:15. > :16:17.in tonight's programme Forget Robocop, this is Robocrop. A new
:16:18. > :16:30.cutting`edge tool to help our farmers survey the land And spot`on!
:16:31. > :16:33.A teenager with terminal cancer who set out to make ?10,000 for the
:16:34. > :16:36.Teenage Cancer Trust has instead raised more than half a million
:16:37. > :16:38.pounds for the charity. Stephen Sutton, from Burntwood in
:16:39. > :16:42.Staffordshire, is combining his incredible fundraising with a list
:16:43. > :16:45.of ambitions to fulfil ` a bucket list which includes sky diving,
:16:46. > :16:49.playing the drums in front of 90,000 people, hugging an elephant and
:16:50. > :17:00.having a tattoo. I am delighted to see that Stephen joins me now in the
:17:01. > :17:10.studio. ?500,000. How on earth have you managed it? I made a Facebook
:17:11. > :17:16.page called Stephen's story and the whole community where I live has
:17:17. > :17:23.rallied around me. The amount of people that have got involved has
:17:24. > :17:36.been incredible. I have been working very hard organising events and
:17:37. > :17:44.talks. This is what the Teenage Cancer Trust say about you. How does
:17:45. > :17:50.that make you feel when people say something like that? I find the best
:17:51. > :18:01.way to help myself is to help others and I am proud of the feeling I get
:18:02. > :18:08.by doing this and raising money. The Teenage Cancer Trust supported me
:18:09. > :18:15.when I needed it. What is your favourite moment? Drumming at
:18:16. > :18:28.Wembley in front of 90,000 people and crowd surfing on a rubber
:18:29. > :18:38.dinghy. And the elephant yesterday? I stood next to him and his trunk
:18:39. > :18:52.came round me. I fed him some bread and we had a good date. Do you ever
:18:53. > :19:05.say why me? The best thing is not to say why me but try me. It is good to
:19:06. > :19:07.meet you. Thank you very much. And you'll find more information about
:19:08. > :19:11.Stephen's remarkable story on the Midlands Today Facebook page. Now,
:19:12. > :19:15.off to the great outdoors. Could robots and drones replace farmers?
:19:16. > :19:18.Or at least become an important part of modern agriculture ` monitoring
:19:19. > :19:21.the harvest from the air as the robots work in the fields? Our Rural
:19:22. > :19:24.Affairs Correspondent David Gregory`Kumar has been given a
:19:25. > :19:32.special tour of the cutting edge of farming.
:19:33. > :19:34.This is the opening of Harper Adams University's ?3 million Agricultural
:19:35. > :19:37.Engineering Innovation Centre in Newport, Shropshire. And can you
:19:38. > :19:46.spot what's missing from these tractors and quad bikes? No steering
:19:47. > :19:55.wheel. What we are looking at is one of our greatest tractors and turning
:19:56. > :20:03.it into a robotic tractor. We are ticking off the steering wheel and
:20:04. > :20:07.controls and putting it under computer control. Although a person
:20:08. > :20:12.is in charge of it, there is no steering wheel. The college at
:20:13. > :20:17.Newport in Shropshire is building the agricultural robots of the
:20:18. > :20:22.future. We are getting big tractors coming in which is about economies
:20:23. > :20:30.of scale. I cannot see tractors being doubled the size in ten years
:20:31. > :20:41.time. Where can we make savings and efficiencies? This robot is designed
:20:42. > :20:49.to trundle around a vineyard and check the health of vines. Something
:20:50. > :20:53.like this could check on weeds and apply weedkiller the individual
:20:54. > :21:02.leaves. Robots may well be the future but in agriculture the drones
:21:03. > :21:09.are already here. If you fly over a crop with this technology and give
:21:10. > :21:17.the data to a scientist, he can look at the imagery and work out what
:21:18. > :21:25.needs to be done with the soil conditions. The machines are coming
:21:26. > :21:35.to a field or orchard near you. Dan's here with the sport. What a
:21:36. > :21:41.cracking night it was at Villa Park! The Villa manager says he is very
:21:42. > :21:56.proud of his players after last night's match.
:21:57. > :22:05.By the end of the night, the Villa fans were jubilant. It had all
:22:06. > :22:08.looked so different 90 minutes earlier. Albion's new Head Coach
:22:09. > :22:11.Pepe Mel had barely taken his seat before his team were ahead through
:22:12. > :22:15.Chris Brunt's stunning strike. And when Fabian Delph scored an own goal
:22:16. > :22:18.to put Albion two up before we'd even played ten minutes Villa Park
:22:19. > :22:21.was stunned. But just like the reverse fixture at the Hawthorns a
:22:22. > :22:25.two`goal lead would not be enough for the Baggies. Andi Weimann got
:22:26. > :22:28.the first one back and we had still only played thirteen minutes. Then
:22:29. > :22:32.came a huge stroke of luck as Leandro Bacuna's sliced shot flew
:22:33. > :22:35.off his own face and into the net. If that goal was fortunate Villa's
:22:36. > :22:38.third was sublime as Delph made amends for his own goal with a
:22:39. > :22:43.brilliant strike Ben Foster barely saw as it flew past him. But just as
:22:44. > :22:46.Villa seemed to have control a sweet passing move saw Yussuf Mulumbu draw
:22:47. > :22:49.Albion level .Six goals and we still hadn't reached half`time. Inevitably
:22:50. > :22:52.the second half was tenser and tighter but Villa won it when Diego
:22:53. > :22:55.Lugano fouled Christian Benteke and the Belgian kept his cool under
:22:56. > :23:02.pressure to clinch a critical victory. It was a great derby game
:23:03. > :23:24.to play in and we have come out with three points. The score of 30 away
:23:25. > :23:31.`` 3`0 away is great. It was my first time of going to a football
:23:32. > :23:44.match in England and I am very excited because I support the love.
:23:45. > :23:47.`` Villa. It leaves Villa in the top half while Albion are just two
:23:48. > :23:51.points above the relegation zone. This though was a night that will
:23:52. > :23:53.live long in the memories of those who watched it, especially if you're
:23:54. > :23:56.a Villa fan. But Stoke City, like Albion, are
:23:57. > :23:59.looking over their shoulders after they lost 1`0 at Sunderland last
:24:00. > :24:03.night. Adam Johnson scored the goal after goalkeeper Asmir Begovic had
:24:04. > :24:07.only managed to parry a shot. Stoke also has Steven Nzonzi sent off but
:24:08. > :24:10.were unlucky not to get a draw. This header from Ryan Shawcross was among
:24:11. > :24:13.a number of good chances they created. So where exactly does all
:24:14. > :24:19.that leave our three clubs in terms of Premier League survival? Well,
:24:20. > :24:23.let's take a look at the bottom of the table. This is the bottom seven.
:24:24. > :24:26.Villa are well above there and are now eight points above the
:24:27. > :24:29.relegation zone. But Albion and Stoke have just a three point
:24:30. > :24:32.cushion. And they play Liverpool and Manchester United next. And of
:24:33. > :24:35.course, the January transfer window closes tomorrow ` but Wolves have
:24:36. > :24:38.made a signing today. And he's one of their former players. They signed
:24:39. > :24:40.striker Leon Clarke from Coventry City.
:24:41. > :24:43.The fee's around ?750,000. He's played for 14 different clubs now.
:24:44. > :24:48.He scored this hat`trick for Chesterfield. And tomorrow we'll be
:24:49. > :24:53.watching out for all the transfers in and out of our clubs. We'll have
:24:54. > :24:56.very latest in our bulletins throughout the day including the
:24:57. > :25:01.late bulletin at 10.25. Thanks, Dan. And the way the
:25:02. > :25:05.weather's been lately it's a wonder we've had any sport at all! At least
:25:06. > :25:09.we had a change from the rain today in central Birmingham ` snow! Quite
:25:10. > :25:11.heavy for a while and an absolute joy if you were shopping in it, as I
:25:12. > :25:20.was(!) Time for the forecast and I'm beginning to think you're going
:25:21. > :25:23.off me, Nick, it has certainly felt a lot colder today ` the first
:25:24. > :25:32.wintry weather we've had for some time. We even got some snow flurries
:25:33. > :25:38.as you said. This January was the wettest since records began in 1910.
:25:39. > :25:43.We have seen twice the average rainfall in the Midlands. But the
:25:44. > :25:53.temperatures have been above average selectors felt a little milder.
:25:54. > :26:02.Tonight we have some cold weather to content worth. There could be some
:26:03. > :26:08.clear spells and some pockets of fog and frost forming. Temperatures have
:26:09. > :26:16.not climbed very much the said they do not have far to fall but you
:26:17. > :26:21.could get into minus figures. As we look at the West, the next band of
:26:22. > :26:25.rain begins to make its way across the country. We have 17 flood
:26:26. > :26:33.warnings in place already, and 21 flood alerts across the Midlands. If
:26:34. > :26:36.you're worried you can call Floodline. So tomorrow starts off
:26:37. > :26:39.cold and dry, but cloud will start to build ahead of the rain moving
:26:40. > :26:48.in. Winds are also strengthening Tonight's headlines from the BBC.
:26:49. > :26:52.That rain will be every `` heavy. Temperatures will be better than
:26:53. > :27:00.today but those winds will pick up so it will feel quite chilly and
:27:01. > :27:06.that rain will stick with us through tomorrow and finally cleared away.
:27:07. > :27:12.Showers could start to fall as wintry weather so it will be a
:27:13. > :27:17.chilly start to Saturday. There will be high spring tides which will
:27:18. > :27:18.compound the flooding problems or speech and to your forecast during
:27:19. > :27:27.the weekend. Tonight's headlines from the BBC.
:27:28. > :27:30.The military arrives to help with flood relief in Somerset, where some
:27:31. > :27:33.communities have been cut off for weeks: And staff were injured and
:27:34. > :27:36.protestors arrested in violent clashes at the University of
:27:37. > :27:39.Birmingham. Police describe it as serious public disorder. That was
:27:40. > :27:40.the Midlands Today. I'll be back at ten o'clock. Have a great evening.
:27:41. > :27:47.Goodbye.