:00:00. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: With flood
:00:09. > :00:16.waters still rising and drains backing up, the drive to keep things
:00:17. > :00:22.moving across Worcestershire. More rain is on the way. It is
:00:23. > :00:26.appalling. We have more rain coming tomorrow and the big system on
:00:27. > :00:30.Friday and Saturday. There could be as many as 80 millimetres more rain
:00:31. > :00:33.which is what we do not want. We'll be live at the riverside for all the
:00:34. > :00:36.latest developments. Also this evening: Downriver in Tewkesbury `
:00:37. > :00:42.homes at risk as flood waters there continue to rise. I don't know
:00:43. > :00:45.whether we would prefer to face bombs or water, to be honest. The
:00:46. > :00:48.water is frightening. Our homes are now worthless, says
:00:49. > :00:55.villagers living within yards of the proposed high`speed railway line. We
:00:56. > :00:58.are really fed up because we have been waiting almost four years and
:00:59. > :01:00.it is the uncertainty that gets to you.
:01:01. > :01:03.Kitchen conversion ` rugby stars from Worcester Warriors take time
:01:04. > :01:05.out to help a struggling homeless charity.
:01:06. > :01:09.And this may have been the scene in Shropshire this morning, but it
:01:10. > :01:12.wasn't the only place to have seen snow. And there's plenty more to
:01:13. > :01:15.come later tonight. But that's just for starters. It's all happening
:01:16. > :01:26.tomorrow. Find out more later in the forecast.
:01:27. > :01:30.Good evening. The fight to keep the region's raging rivers at bay
:01:31. > :01:34.continues tonight ` with the threat of even higher water levels within
:01:35. > :01:37.the next 48 hours. Anxious communities living alongside major
:01:38. > :01:40.rivers such as the Severn and the Wye have been warned that further
:01:41. > :01:42.flooding is expected, with fire crews, council workers and
:01:43. > :01:50.Environment Agency staff all stretched by today's fresh deluge.
:01:51. > :01:53.Our reporters have been across the region today. Our first report
:01:54. > :01:58.tonight comes from Cath Mackie in Worcester.
:01:59. > :02:02.It's a nervous waiting game for people living near the River Severn
:02:03. > :02:05.in Worcester, as the water creeps up their flood defences. It is a
:02:06. > :02:09.concern. It is not one that we consider jumping ship, excuse the
:02:10. > :02:14.pun, but you need to be aware of it. You need to manage it and make sure
:02:15. > :02:18.the neighbours are OK. It has been seeping up through the concrete. It
:02:19. > :02:22.has wet the carpet in odd places. Water gets everywhere, doesn't it?
:02:23. > :02:25.More than 60 volunteers are on stand`by across Worcestershire and
:02:26. > :02:30.Gloucestershire with a fleet of 4x4s to help people stranded by flooding.
:02:31. > :02:35.Ron Hart has just returned from Somerset, where he carried out
:02:36. > :02:40.rescues in high floodwater. He's now in Worcester, ready for action. It
:02:41. > :02:43.is really to get their essential care workers, doctors, surgeons, to
:02:44. > :02:47.and from hospital, so when they are cut off because of floods and snow,
:02:48. > :02:50.we will make sure that they make it to work and back.
:02:51. > :02:56.Across Worcestershire, maintenance teams are at work clearing drains
:02:57. > :03:00.and ditches. It is basically like a big vacuum cleaner. It sucks all the
:03:01. > :03:03.mud, silt and water. This two`man team clocked on at 6.30 this
:03:04. > :03:08.morning, driving around the county removing blockages that, if left,
:03:09. > :03:13.could cause flooding. Go to about 95 gullies per day. Working nonstop
:03:14. > :03:18.since 6:30 this morning and all the way through until four. It is fair
:03:19. > :03:22.to say that lessons have been learned since the big flood of 2007
:03:23. > :03:26.when so many blocked drains and gullies added to the general
:03:27. > :03:30.flooding misery. And you can see now the investment that has gone in to
:03:31. > :03:34.try and keep those drains clear at times like this. You have got
:03:35. > :03:38.different technology now, so when we go to clear the drains, if there is
:03:39. > :03:41.something they cannot clear, it comes up on the screen in the
:03:42. > :03:44.vehicles and it is fed back to headquarters, who can deal with the
:03:45. > :03:48.blocked pipe or whatever. All eyes are looking anxiously at
:03:49. > :03:51.the water levels. There's no let up in the rain ` this morning a
:03:52. > :03:53.shocking downpour and hailstorm greeted traffic crossing the
:03:54. > :03:56.partially opened river bridge. Disruption is becoming the norm.
:03:57. > :03:58.This community is extremely resilient and extremely experienced
:03:59. > :04:02.in these conditions. Businesses are open as usual and we will try to
:04:03. > :04:04.maintain the situation as best we can.
:04:05. > :04:07.Every drain that's cleared across Worcestershire is now recorded and
:04:08. > :04:15.monitored ` but with more rain forecast,t, the hope is they're not
:04:16. > :04:18.fighting a losing battle. Well, Cath is at the water's edge in Worcester
:04:19. > :04:24.this evening. Cath, how's it looking? I have spoke
:04:25. > :04:27.to a man who brought his daughter here from Birmingham to show her
:04:28. > :04:32.what nature could do. It is a site in war star with the River Severn
:04:33. > :04:36.rising around us. With me is David from the Environment Agency. How
:04:37. > :04:44.nervous are you? We are vigilant and ready to act. We have got some high
:04:45. > :04:49.levels up at Ironbridge, it is now peaking and that one area we have
:04:50. > :04:53.the highest levels for 14 years. It will work its way down through
:04:54. > :04:58.Worcester by tomorrow and Thursday. The flood defences were built with a
:04:59. > :05:03.standard peak of 5.7 metres. Do you think we will see that? 5.5 is the
:05:04. > :05:10.current prediction. But we must keep a close eye on things. Do you have
:05:11. > :05:15.contingency plans in case the flood defences are breached? We are
:05:16. > :05:18.operating under a silver demand which is all of the emergency
:05:19. > :05:24.organisations working together. If something unexpected happens, we
:05:25. > :05:30.will be ready to act. In 2007, we had half a foot of rain in one day.
:05:31. > :05:35.This time it has been more gradual. Has that made it easier to plan? I
:05:36. > :05:43.think so. In 2007 it was mainly surface water. The River Severn is a
:05:44. > :05:46.slower reacting river. Towns and cities along the Severn are open for
:05:47. > :05:51.business but this is very much a waiting game. People are hoping that
:05:52. > :05:55.the forecast is not as bad as predicted.
:05:56. > :05:59.At least 45 properties in Ironbridge in Shropshire are tonight at risk of
:06:00. > :06:03.flooding. The River Severn is thought to be at its highest levels
:06:04. > :06:06.in the town for 14 years. From the birthplace of the Industrial
:06:07. > :06:10.Revolution, Ben Godfrey sent this report.
:06:11. > :06:16.Late this afternoon, reinforcements were arriving to protect the
:06:17. > :06:18.historic wharfage in Ironbridge. Although the swollen River Severn
:06:19. > :06:24.peaked here earlier, surface run`off water from surrounding hills is
:06:25. > :06:27.putting homes at greater risk. Tonight the Severn at Ironbridge is
:06:28. > :06:34.getting exceptionally high. It is standing at around six metres, the
:06:35. > :06:37.highest it has been in 14 years. In an unusual move, the council
:06:38. > :06:40.contacted 45 properties today, asking them to consider moving onto
:06:41. > :06:43.the first floor ` or leave until further notice. And people have been
:06:44. > :06:49.prevented from walking behind the flood barriers. There is one metre
:06:50. > :06:53.of water against this barrier. If it did go with that amount of water on
:06:54. > :06:57.it, it would be a bit of a disaster. They are asking people to take
:06:58. > :06:59.precautions. People are heeding those precautions. Coalbrookdale
:07:00. > :07:04.primary school says it'll close tomorrow. A few properties ` which
:07:05. > :07:07.we couldn't reach on foot ` have suffered minor flooding, but so far
:07:08. > :07:14.these barriers are working effectively. They are the most
:07:15. > :07:20.important thing. The Environment Agency are doing a wonderful job.
:07:21. > :07:23.The council. Without the flood barriers, some of the shops would be
:07:24. > :07:26.under. Environment Agency staff are now wearing life jackets, but they
:07:27. > :07:30.say it's a just precaution when the river rises significantly. Traders
:07:31. > :07:37.are putting on a brave face as the river rages by. Ben Godfrey, BBC
:07:38. > :07:39.Midlands Today, Ironbridge. Further downstream from Ironbridge
:07:40. > :07:42.and Worcester is Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, which of course
:07:43. > :07:46.provided one of the most enduring images of the great floods of 2007 `
:07:47. > :07:51.the town and its famous abbey effectively cut off. Fast`forward
:07:52. > :07:54.nearly seven years and residents are still facing a major challenge, with
:07:55. > :07:58.hundreds of sandbags handed out in the last 24 hours. Sarah Falkland
:07:59. > :08:07.has spent the day in Tewkesbury with worried homeowners.
:08:08. > :08:12.A bit choppy today with the wind we have been having. If you live in a
:08:13. > :08:16.situation like this, you learn to live with it and keep a general eye
:08:17. > :08:22.open. And make decisions based on what we can see. But what is that
:08:23. > :08:27.seeming muddy ocean out there? It is the flooded river Avon and the
:08:28. > :08:32.flooded River Severn combined. It is getting dangerously close to Abbey
:08:33. > :08:34.Terrace. A few doors down and this neighbour is already worrying about
:08:35. > :08:41.the aftermath once the waters have receded. It is like, have I really
:08:42. > :08:46.got to start again and do it all over again? But you do. You find
:08:47. > :08:53.yourself thinking, well, yes, what else am I going to do other than
:08:54. > :08:58.cry? We cannot afford years. There is too much water out there to add
:08:59. > :09:01.to it! For many of the residents along the Terrace, this afternoon is
:09:02. > :09:05.all about pumping what you can out of your cellar and moving your
:09:06. > :09:10.possessions to safety. For some, that means the cost of putting
:09:11. > :09:13.furniture into storage. For everyone it means that sandbags, although the
:09:14. > :09:21.council is running people not to be greedy. We have had had bands taking
:09:22. > :09:25.30 or 40 bags. `` we have had bands. We have put security in place
:09:26. > :09:29.to make sure it is fair for everyone. Geoffrey Clarke is putting
:09:30. > :09:37.his faith in his home`made flood defence system. It has kept six
:09:38. > :09:41.inches of water out of the house. Any water leaking through went into
:09:42. > :09:44.the fish pond and we popped it back over the wall. As long as the flood
:09:45. > :09:49.outside do not get higher than the wall, we are OK. River levels are
:09:50. > :09:58.set to rise and for some that means having as much faith in man`made
:09:59. > :10:01.forces as in divine ones. Good to have you with us here on
:10:02. > :10:04.Midlands Today. We have the all`important weather forecast with
:10:05. > :10:07.Shefali coming up later. And we'll be offering you a unique perspective
:10:08. > :10:19.of the floods in Shrewsbury. Find out how we got these pictures.
:10:20. > :10:21.Residents in a small community in north Warwickshire claim they're
:10:22. > :10:24.living in Britain's most blighted village ` and their homes are now
:10:25. > :10:28.'unsellable' thanks to the proposed High Speed Two railway line. Within
:10:29. > :10:31.a mile of Gilson, there are three motorways and, if plans for HS2 go
:10:32. > :10:34.ahead, the village will be surrounded by a major railway
:10:35. > :10:37.junction. The area's inside a special "Safeguarding Zone" aimed at
:10:38. > :10:40.protecting homeowners. But so far, the Government's only agreed to buy
:10:41. > :10:45.a handful of properties. Our Transport Correspondent, Peter
:10:46. > :10:48.Plisner, has the details. A picture postcard image in today's
:10:49. > :10:52.snow ` but is this Britain's most blighted village? Some people
:10:53. > :10:55.certainly think so. Originally affected by the construction of the
:10:56. > :10:58.M42 and then the M6 toll and now HS2, the controversial line passes
:10:59. > :11:03.right through the middle of the field over there. And that means
:11:04. > :11:07.it's pretty close most houses here, and as a result the majority of them
:11:08. > :11:10.sit within an HS2 Safeguarding Zone, where home`owners can ask the
:11:11. > :11:16.Government to buy them out ` so they can move. But letters from the
:11:17. > :11:19.Department for Transport, saying that the Government is unable to buy
:11:20. > :11:25.the majority of properties ` because their land is not in order to build
:11:26. > :11:30.or operate Phase One of HS2. It leaves homes here worthless. Local
:11:31. > :11:34.estate agents won't even put them on the market. You can't put a property
:11:35. > :11:38.on the market that you know is not going to sell. You know if you put
:11:39. > :11:42.it on the books, clients will ask you about HS2 and as soon as they
:11:43. > :11:45.know, they will not want to view the property. So you have unsellable
:11:46. > :11:49.stock, so you are wasting time, effort and money trying to sell a
:11:50. > :11:52.property you know you will not be able to sell. It's all left people
:11:53. > :11:56.like retired teacher, John Whitehead in a classic state of limbo and,
:11:57. > :12:01.like the name of his house, at his wits end. We were angry at first and
:12:02. > :12:04.now we are really fed up because we have been waiting almost four years
:12:05. > :12:08.and it is the uncertainty that gets to you. The Government has agreed to
:12:09. > :12:11.buy some properties. But so far only those which will be knocked down if
:12:12. > :12:15.the line gets built. Surveyors acting for residents in the village
:12:16. > :12:18.say it's all very unfair. People want to get on with their everyday
:12:19. > :12:21.lives. They can't plan for their future, they have their kids to
:12:22. > :12:26.think about, which schools do they go to, if they want to retire, where
:12:27. > :12:29.do they go? The whole area is simply blighted at the moment. The good
:12:30. > :12:32.news is that a new compensation scheme, expected to be launched in
:12:33. > :12:35.the summer, could provide the solution. But there are no
:12:36. > :12:38.guarantees. Any purchases will still be at the discretion of the
:12:39. > :12:41.Government. And Peter joins us now from Curzon
:12:42. > :12:47.Street in Birmingham, the proposed site of the city's station for HS2.
:12:48. > :12:55.What a nightmare for the residents, Peter, it does seem unfair? That is
:12:56. > :12:59.what we are seeing tonight but a lot of people went there to retire, for
:13:00. > :13:03.a quiet life, now they are pretty busy fighting plans for HS2 and
:13:04. > :13:06.trying to sell their houses. Many thought that when it was designated
:13:07. > :13:11.inside the safeguarding zones they had a guarantee their houses would
:13:12. > :13:14.be purchased, but it seems the only guarantee inside that safeguarding
:13:15. > :13:16.zones is that you cannot build any extensions to your houses or new
:13:17. > :13:21.houses, no development is allowed at all. The only people who have agreed
:13:22. > :13:24.to sell their property to the government are those who are so
:13:25. > :13:29.close that they are likely to be compulsory purchase. The local MP
:13:30. > :13:32.has been lobbying hard to get the government to what he says do the
:13:33. > :13:36.right thing, but is it the right thing, bearing in mind that these
:13:37. > :13:39.houses would probably be purchased with taxpayers' money? What chance
:13:40. > :13:44.do the residents have against the of the government? Some would say the
:13:45. > :13:48.president has been set ten years ago when the M6 toll was built nearby, a
:13:49. > :13:54.lot of properties were purchased by the government under something
:13:55. > :13:59.called this guestimate `` something called discretionary blight. There
:14:00. > :14:03.was supposed to be one for HS2 but the government has had to re`consult
:14:04. > :14:08.on a scheme because of court action by anti`HS2 protesters. It is
:14:09. > :14:12.thought that once that scheme comes into being, it could be in the
:14:13. > :14:16.summer of this year, that a lot of properties, those who want to be
:14:17. > :14:19.purchased, probably will be purchased and that will hopefully
:14:20. > :14:26.mean a happy ending for those who live there. Peter, thank you.
:14:27. > :14:30.And on this week's Sunday Politics, one of the studio guests will be
:14:31. > :14:33.Alison Munro, chief executive of HS2. That's all with our political
:14:34. > :14:35.editor Patrick Burns from 11 o'clock on BBC One.
:14:36. > :14:37.Police investigating the disappearance of teenage mother
:14:38. > :14:41.Nicola Payne failed to find anything during a search of a nature reserve.
:14:42. > :14:52.Officers spent six hours at grassland in the Stoke Floods area
:14:53. > :14:55.of Binley on Monday. The last sighting of the 18`year`old was in
:14:56. > :15:04.the Henley Green area of Coventry in 1991.Three people remain on police
:15:05. > :15:07.bail as part of the investigation. A review of children's services in
:15:08. > :15:09.Birmingham has found that they're improving but remain fragile. The
:15:10. > :15:11.City Council's children's department has faced criticism after several
:15:12. > :15:15.deaths, including that of two`year`old Keanu Williams, who was
:15:16. > :15:17.beaten to death by his mother. The Local Government Association found
:15:18. > :15:20.improvements in management but that it was still concerned about
:15:21. > :15:22.unallocated cases and the speed of intervention.
:15:23. > :15:25.For years now, many passageways in Birmingham city centre have remained
:15:26. > :15:29.hidden ` out of sight and underused. Now an Architect Masters student is
:15:30. > :15:33.making a case for opening them up in a bid to make the second city more
:15:34. > :15:36.connected. He's looking at Milan to draw inspiration. Our Arts and
:15:37. > :15:42.Culture reporter, Satnam Rana, has been finding out why.
:15:43. > :15:45.Milan and Birmingham ` two cities full of splendid and sometimes
:15:46. > :15:51.similar architecture. But unlike Birmingham, Milan is well known as a
:15:52. > :15:54.design city. Now this Masters Architect student is using Italy's
:15:55. > :15:57.second city as a source of inspiration to create a design kit
:15:58. > :16:00.for city planners here. He's presenting his findings later this
:16:01. > :16:05.week at Selfridge's Festival of Imagination. We have a lot of the
:16:06. > :16:08.ingredient here that could make Birmingham a really great design
:16:09. > :16:12.city. But we perhaps need to learn a couple of lessons just to maximise
:16:13. > :16:15.on what we already have. So, much like Milan, Birmingham has its grand
:16:16. > :16:20.civic squares. Here is St Philips Square. But walk around the corner
:16:21. > :16:27.and there are hidden passageways which Luke says be opened up. In
:16:28. > :16:30.Milan you do get lots of spaces like this which are widely used during
:16:31. > :16:36.the day because a lot of activities surround them and so they becoming
:16:37. > :16:40.exciting spaces. `` and so they become exciting spaces. So the pubs
:16:41. > :16:42.down there are using them and the offices. That's it. In Milan, you
:16:43. > :16:45.would have accommodation and manufacturing workshops in the
:16:46. > :16:48.spaces too. Luke also wants planners to reconsider a legacy of
:16:49. > :16:50.demolition. In Milan, buildings are often modified rather than
:16:51. > :16:53.destroyed. Here, disused building like the brutalist Central Library
:16:54. > :16:58.are set to go. But will Luke's recommendations be useful? Nick
:16:59. > :17:01.Corbett has been working in town planning and urban design for 20
:17:02. > :17:06.years and has written about Birmingham's regeneration. In
:17:07. > :17:09.Birmingham, we have the big city plan which proposes a streets and
:17:10. > :17:12.squares model. Luke's recommendations are helpful because
:17:13. > :17:16.we can look at more detail, I think, how Birmingham would benefit from a
:17:17. > :17:19.public realm strategy. To have a range of public spaces and bring
:17:20. > :17:22.together designers, business people and industrialists, because that is
:17:23. > :17:29.what the prosperity of the city is built upon. Those interactions.
:17:30. > :17:34.Milan may be thousands of miles away, but for Luke it's a city we
:17:35. > :17:36.can learn from. And as New Street Station undergoes its ?550 million
:17:37. > :17:40.redevelopment, Luke hopes his ideas will be used to create better links
:17:41. > :17:50.within the city. Satnam Rana, BBC Midlands Today, Birmingham.
:17:51. > :17:54.Intriguing. So what's your view? Do you agree
:17:55. > :18:01.with Luke? You can join the debate on how Birmingham city centre could
:18:02. > :18:04.be revamped on our Facebook page. Our top story tonight: With flood
:18:05. > :18:07.waters still rising and drains backing up in Worcester, the drive
:18:08. > :18:11.to keep the city moving. Also on tonight's programme, from
:18:12. > :18:20.goal to grill ` rugby stars helping a struggling charity by cooking
:18:21. > :18:23.breakfast for the homeless. A busy night of football ahead,
:18:24. > :18:26.including two big games in the Premier League. West Brom face the
:18:27. > :18:29.leaders Chelsea at the Hawthorns. Back in November, they drew 2`2 at
:18:30. > :18:34.Stamford Bridge, and only a controversial penalty denied Albion
:18:35. > :18:37.a victory. But Chelsea have the meanest defence in the Premier
:18:38. > :18:49.League, and head coach Pepe Mel rates them very highly indeed. My
:18:50. > :18:57.problem is Chelsea. My problem is their players. It is a problem for
:18:58. > :19:05.us. Jose Mourinho is a good coach. He is a good manager. For me, he is
:19:06. > :19:09.a good person. Aston Villa are hoping that Ron Vlar
:19:10. > :19:12.is fit to return in defence to face struggling Cardiff City. Villa are
:19:13. > :19:16.going for the double, having already won 2`0 when they met at Villa Park
:19:17. > :19:19.three months ago. But Cardiff have changed managers since then. And a
:19:20. > :19:22.win could lift them above West Brom in the battle to avoid relegation.
:19:23. > :19:25.Birmingham City, Port Vale and Cheltenham are also in action
:19:26. > :19:28.tonight. Full coverage on BBC local radio.
:19:29. > :19:32.The Worcester Warriors rugby team have come to the rescue of a charity
:19:33. > :19:35.who were forced to give up serving breakfast for the homeless. Players
:19:36. > :19:38.from the Premiership club have stepped in to cook at the centre in
:19:39. > :19:42.Birmingham once a week. Now they want other businesses to get
:19:43. > :19:46.involved. As Nick Clitheroe reports. Early morning in Birmingham and
:19:47. > :19:49.there's not a rugby ball in sight as the Worcester Warriors get to work.
:19:50. > :19:52.They may never win Masterchef, but these players are providing a vital
:19:53. > :19:56.community service They've banded together to buy the food and start
:19:57. > :20:01.every week by driving up to Digbeth to cook breakfast for the homeless.
:20:02. > :20:05.It is quite humbling. You come here and you see guys who are struggling
:20:06. > :20:09.on a day`to`day basis. For us to get down here and just help, it goes a
:20:10. > :20:13.long way. The SIFA Fireside Centre has been feeding the homeless two
:20:14. > :20:19.hot meals a day for years but all that changed after Christmas. The
:20:20. > :20:23.pressure on funding from rising costs such as heating bills meant
:20:24. > :20:27.the charity had to make a decision. It had come down to one hot meal per
:20:28. > :20:30.day so it had to be breakfast or lunch. They decided to keep the
:20:31. > :20:33.lunches, so without the Warriors there'd be no more breakfasts and
:20:34. > :20:37.the diners are incredibly grateful. Most of us would starve because it
:20:38. > :20:41.is a rough life being on the streets, believe me. I have been on
:20:42. > :20:45.the streets for six months. Without it I wouldn't be able to move
:20:46. > :20:48.forward to even think about what I need to do next, to start looking
:20:49. > :20:52.for work or any of those things. Without it, it would be very
:20:53. > :20:55.difficult. If it puts a smile on someone's face on Monday morning,
:20:56. > :20:59.great. It is a good experience for us. I think the more things like
:21:00. > :21:02.this we can do, the better, the better connected we are in the
:21:03. > :21:06.community. Coming in for a meal is often the first contact many people
:21:07. > :21:09.have with the centre. Hot showers, medical advice and help with the
:21:10. > :21:14.underlying causes of their homelessness follow. They feel
:21:15. > :21:20.marginalised, they feel like people don't care. If we can get people in
:21:21. > :21:23.here and start to massively, massively improve the situation they
:21:24. > :21:26.are in, the emotional thing about knowing that people do care about
:21:27. > :21:29.their well`being, it moves mountains. Now they're hoping other
:21:30. > :21:34.companies will follow the example of the Worcester Warriors and restore
:21:35. > :21:41.breakfast to the Fireside menu. Nick Clitheroe, BBC Midlands Today,
:21:42. > :21:45.Birmingham. Ever wondered what it would look
:21:46. > :21:48.like if you were able to fly directly over the floods ` getting a
:21:49. > :21:52.view like this from just above the swollen waters? Well, tonight we can
:21:53. > :21:58.show you, thanks to Gareth Griffiths. He's been flying his
:21:59. > :22:00.remote`controlled helicopter camera above the River Severn in
:22:01. > :22:07.Shrewsbury, and Joanne Writtle's been to meet him.
:22:08. > :22:12.Beyond the barriers. These remarkable pictures show Shrewsbury
:22:13. > :22:20.under water. A stark reminder of why the flood defences were needed here.
:22:21. > :22:24.It was shot by this man. Gareth Griffiths, wearing video goggles so
:22:25. > :22:30.he can see what he's filming, sent his quadcopter, with a camera
:22:31. > :22:34.attached, above the River Severn. Shrews brewery floods all of the
:22:35. > :22:41.time but it is very rare that you see a viewpoint like this. `` shrews
:22:42. > :22:45.Berry. It is good that it is not giving you a full picture of what is
:22:46. > :22:48.going on. This dust flies up and you can control it and move it around
:22:49. > :22:51.and get the picture you want to see really. Gareth's camera is now
:22:52. > :22:55.heading upstream past the Theatre Severn on the right, which is safe
:22:56. > :23:05.behind the flood barriers. Ahead, motorists make their way across the
:23:06. > :23:08.Welsh Bridge. This is Frank well foot bridge leading over the swollen
:23:09. > :23:12.River Severn from the centre of shrews break to the other side. The
:23:13. > :23:20.other side of town. And from the air it looks like this. A mass of water
:23:21. > :23:25.engulfing the area. Gareth does this as a hobby. He's actually a web
:23:26. > :23:30.designer. But today he was attracting attention from those here
:23:31. > :23:34.to see the floods. I thought it was like something out of Star Trek with
:23:35. > :23:37.the headgear on and the remote control in his hand. From the
:23:38. > :23:43.footbridge it was easy to see that no`one would be able to buy a
:23:44. > :23:46.parking ticket here. And the only way to see this sign welcoming you
:23:47. > :23:49.to this town is from above. Shrewsbury coping with the forces of
:23:50. > :24:00.nature, and being filmed by something hi`tech and entirely man
:24:01. > :24:03.made. Those are terrific pictures. Thank
:24:04. > :24:05.you to Gareth for sharing them with us.
:24:06. > :24:10.And you can watch Gareth's film of the floods in Shrewsbury on the
:24:11. > :24:12.Midlands Today Facebook page. And our Environment Correspondent
:24:13. > :24:15.David Gregory`Kumar has been looking at flooding in the Midlands and
:24:16. > :24:19.analysing how things have changed since the Easter floods of 1998. You
:24:20. > :24:25.can read more and leave your own thoughts on his blog at
:24:26. > :24:28.bbc.co.uk/davidgregorykumar. Well, we've had it all today.
:24:29. > :24:29.Torrential rain, a snowstorm and sunshine. I'm very confused. What's
:24:30. > :24:34.next, Shefali? sunshine. I'm very
:24:35. > :24:39.You are probably going to be completely baffled by the end of
:24:40. > :24:42.tomorrow. To clarify things for you, we have more snow arriving later on
:24:43. > :24:45.tonight and that will be more substantial than the lot you saw
:24:46. > :24:49.this morning but it all arrive is ahead of a deep area of low
:24:50. > :24:51.pressure, the next low`pressure system that rattles up from the
:24:52. > :24:55.south`west through tomorrow and it will bring a whole host of other
:24:56. > :24:59.problems with it. This is what you can expect over the next 24 hours.
:25:00. > :25:04.We have got snow, strong winds and we have got heavy rain. Yellow
:25:05. > :25:07.warnings for all three of those things but particularly for the
:25:08. > :25:11.winds and four Shropshire, is there surely we have got amber warnings so
:25:12. > :25:15.that is more serious and it looks as though Shropshire will get a
:25:16. > :25:18.clobbering tomorrow. For right now we have showers affecting the
:25:19. > :25:21.eastern half of the region, still falling as now, but we have got a
:25:22. > :25:25.slight lull in proceedings in between. That goes through the
:25:26. > :25:29.middle part of tonight when the temperatures and the winds will drop
:25:30. > :25:32.and they will lead to some frost and ice problems. As you saw, we had
:25:33. > :25:38.lots of white patches in the region and they will produce two or three
:25:39. > :25:41.centimetres of snow. The leading edge of the next weather system will
:25:42. > :25:46.come into contact with the cold air and turned to snow. That estimate of
:25:47. > :25:51.snowfall is quite conservative and could be more than that. You will
:25:52. > :25:54.probably wake up to snow tomorrow morning, not just falling at higher
:25:55. > :25:58.levels, but also at lower levels and could just be about anywhere but the
:25:59. > :26:03.transition between that and the next system piling in from the West is
:26:04. > :26:05.going to be pretty seamless. That will all revert back to rain as the
:26:06. > :26:08.temperatures rise slightly because we have got a warm sector going
:26:09. > :26:13.through it in the middle part of the day. We are looking at a lot of rain
:26:14. > :26:17.and those strong winds, that will finally clear away to drier
:26:18. > :26:20.conditions by the end of the day and perhaps a spot of sunshine, taking
:26:21. > :26:25.temperatures up to eight or nine Celsius and gusts of around 60 mph.
:26:26. > :26:29.Finally, we are looking at things coming down to tomorrow night but
:26:30. > :26:33.still some showers and a good till all as snow in some places but this
:26:34. > :26:38.will set the trend for Thursday is self which is actually looking much
:26:39. > :26:40.camera. Just a few showers dotted about but he largely dry day and the
:26:41. > :26:45.driest of the week. Thank you.
:26:46. > :26:48.Back now to our top story tonight, and the rising river levels which
:26:49. > :26:48.threaten even more flooding later this week.
:26:49. > :26:50.Thank you. Back now to our top story Cath
:26:51. > :26:54.Mackie is in the heart of Worcester for us now. What's likely to happen
:26:55. > :26:58.in the next 48 hours, Cath? It really is a waiting game. I have
:26:59. > :27:02.been told by agency staff in Ironbridge have put on life jackets
:27:03. > :27:05.as a precaution and I have been informed that the river bridge in
:27:06. > :27:12.Worcester will be closing at 8pm. The best thing is to listen to the
:27:13. > :27:17.BBC Radio Ulster nation but with 39 flood warnings and 41 flood alerts,
:27:18. > :27:19.it really is a worrying time for local people across Worcestershire
:27:20. > :27:27.and other parts of the Midlands this evening. `` listen to the BBC local
:27:28. > :27:30.radio stations. Tonight's main headline from the
:27:31. > :27:33.BBC: More communities hit by floods ` in the Thames Valley as well as
:27:34. > :27:36.the West Midlands. The Prime Minister warns it'll get worse
:27:37. > :27:39.before it gets better. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be
:27:40. > :27:42.back at ten o'clock with the night's football results and the latest
:27:43. > :27:46.update on river levels, including a live report from Ironbridge. Have a
:27:47. > :28:33.good evening and we leave you with pictures of the swollen
:28:34. > :28:41.It was only for a second or two but I know -
:28:42. > :28:46.You're dragging up the past and into our house. She's my family