:00:00. > :00:00.forces and protestors. That is all from BBC News. It is goodbye from
:00:00. > :00:07.Hello, and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight:
:00:08. > :00:11.Turning the tide after the floods ` firms look to social media to drive
:00:12. > :00:18.home their message ` "open for business".
:00:19. > :00:22.We are an independent retailer here in Worcester, and we had two days
:00:23. > :00:24.last week where we didn't have a single customer.
:00:25. > :00:27.We've spent the day in Worcester talking to shop owners who've had a
:00:28. > :00:30.week they would clearly love to forget.
:00:31. > :00:34.Also tonight: Seven years ago, this village was under water ` what
:00:35. > :00:37.lessons can we learn today from the great floods of 2007?
:00:38. > :00:42.If you can show a united front, I think that's the one thing I want to
:00:43. > :00:44.get out there ` then you will get an awful lot more help.
:00:45. > :00:46.Bishops accuse the Government of driving people into food and fuel
:00:47. > :00:49.poverty. To find that families and
:00:50. > :00:53.individuals are not getting enough to eat in one of the richest
:00:54. > :00:56.countries in the world is a scandal. And stranded in the Atlantic, but
:00:57. > :01:01.determined to carry on ` the rowers who refuse to admit defeat.
:01:02. > :01:08.And the latest rainfall figures have just been released, and I'm afraid
:01:09. > :01:13.they make for grim reading. So how much rain have we had and how much
:01:14. > :01:20.more are we due to get? All those details coming up in the forecast
:01:21. > :01:24.later. Good evening. One week after the
:01:25. > :01:28.highest water levels in living memory, the fightback is on ` that's
:01:29. > :01:30.the message from Worcester shops and businesses tonight, who hope
:01:31. > :01:35.receding water will mean increased takings. The number of people
:01:36. > :01:39.spending money in the city dropped by 10% at the height of the River
:01:40. > :01:46.Severn floods, but a major social media campaign's under way to entice
:01:47. > :01:50.people back. Ben Sidwell reports. What a difference a week makes. This
:01:51. > :01:59.was the scene in Worcester last Thursday. Seven days later, with
:02:00. > :02:02.people starting to return to the high street, shops and businesses
:02:03. > :02:11.have joined forces to try and get a united message across that Worcester
:02:12. > :02:16.is still very much open. The high street has been dead to be honest.
:02:17. > :02:21.It is quiet. We have had the odd people in and out. Luckily we have a
:02:22. > :02:24.lot of customers that have come in. It has been a quiet few weeks.
:02:25. > :02:28.Unlike during the last big floods of 2007, the city now has the power of
:02:29. > :02:35.social media, and they've turned to Twitter in an attempt to boost
:02:36. > :02:38.trade. Businesses can help themselves and help others to show
:02:39. > :02:42.we are open for business. We have taken to social media to get that
:02:43. > :02:48.message across. The response has been phenomenal. And businesses have
:02:49. > :02:54.gotten in touch with us as well to tell us about their experiences.
:02:55. > :02:58.Like this one. This boutique only opened in October, and here, without
:02:59. > :03:05.a doubt, the last ten days have been the toughest they've faced so far.
:03:06. > :03:09.It has been difficult for us as a business. We are an independent
:03:10. > :03:13.retailer in Worcester, and we had two days last week when we didn't
:03:14. > :03:16.have a single customer. Much closer to the river, and at the Diglis
:03:17. > :03:22.House Hotel, they're still pumping out the water. Like many businesses
:03:23. > :03:32.in the city, they've lost trade over the last ten days because customers
:03:33. > :03:37.presumed they were flooded and shut. I think people have been worried
:03:38. > :03:44.about coming in, and at some point last week, rightly so, but now the
:03:45. > :03:47.roads and motorways are open. There is no reason why people should not
:03:48. > :03:52.come to Worcester. While we were at the hotel, a tweet likely to bring
:03:53. > :03:55.joy to many in the city. With the river levels dropping fast, the
:03:56. > :04:03.clean`up has begun. Welcome news for businesses like this cafe. Is
:04:04. > :04:08.getting back to normal. We have a few of the regulars realising they
:04:09. > :04:11.can get to West, so they are starting to get back in. Today on
:04:12. > :04:13.Twitter, it was the free parking that everyone was tweeting about.
:04:14. > :04:17.Another attempt to help attract shoppers back to the high street,
:04:18. > :04:25.and reinforce the message that the city is well and truly open for
:04:26. > :04:29.business. If you want to talk to us on
:04:30. > :04:35.Twitter, as many businesses have been doing, you can contact us.
:04:36. > :04:39.Plenty more ahead tonight, including: The soldiers helping the
:04:40. > :04:43.British Army bring tonnes of equipment home from Afghanistan.
:04:44. > :04:51.And the special home in Birmingham continuing to help families of men
:04:52. > :04:54.and women wounded in action. 20 nurses from Stoke`on`Trent are
:04:55. > :04:59.being sent to Stafford Hospital to ease a staffing crisis. The hospital
:05:00. > :05:02.was taken over by administrators in April last year after an inquiry
:05:03. > :05:09.into its higher`than`expected death rate between 2005 and 2008. Staffing
:05:10. > :05:13.is tonight being described as a "very fragile situation" by the
:05:14. > :05:16.hospital chief executive. Our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper,
:05:17. > :05:25.is outside the hospital now. Liz, what more did you learn at the
:05:26. > :05:30.meeting? This comes down to one main issue,
:05:31. > :05:35.the shortage of nursing staff and the difficulties the trust has
:05:36. > :05:42.placed in recruiting and retaining nurses. We learned today that 20
:05:43. > :05:44.experienced nurses from the NHS in Stoke`on`Trent will come to
:05:45. > :05:50.Staffordshire for three months. There will arrive in Monday and be
:05:51. > :05:55.on the wards on Tuesday. We also learned that 15 beds will be made
:05:56. > :06:03.available in Wolverhampton, and I will help alleviate the pressure. To
:06:04. > :06:07.discuss this, we are joined by a campaign. Give us your initial
:06:08. > :06:11.response. Witham we are happier than we thought we would be when this
:06:12. > :06:15.meeting was called. We thought our ANC hours would be reduced. This is
:06:16. > :06:20.good news is we're getting some or staff. We have this problem of not
:06:21. > :06:26.being able to recruit staff, and this has been due to the prolonged
:06:27. > :06:32.process. The chief executive described the situation as fragile.
:06:33. > :06:35.It is concerning. We need the decision next week that there has to
:06:36. > :06:40.be stability and future of the staff. People have mortgages to
:06:41. > :06:45.pay. They need to know the certainty of their future career. Thank you
:06:46. > :06:50.for joining us this evening. Next week will be a very important week
:06:51. > :06:55.here at the hospital. We are expecting to have the decision from
:06:56. > :06:59.the Secretary of State. His decision on the administrator's plans for the
:07:00. > :07:04.future of services here at Stafford. It is hoped by the board
:07:05. > :07:10.that the decision at the least will provide some measure of certainty.
:07:11. > :07:13.Thank you. 27 bishops, including four from our region, have written a
:07:14. > :07:16.letter condemning the Government's "punitive" welfare reforms, which
:07:17. > :07:19.they say have forced people into food and fuel poverty. The Bishops
:07:20. > :07:22.of Birmingham, Gloucester, Lichfield and Tewkesbury believe too many
:07:23. > :07:28.people are having to choose between "heat or eat". Bob Hockenhull
:07:29. > :07:31.reports. The Government says the sun is
:07:32. > :07:34.starting to shine on the economy again, but church leaders are
:07:35. > :07:41.painting a bleaker picture ` one of a society with too many people going
:07:42. > :07:45.hungry. I'm absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to speak up for
:07:46. > :07:48.those who can't speak for themselves. Inequalities in Britain
:07:49. > :07:51.have grown over the last two years, in spite of everyone's best efforts,
:07:52. > :07:54.and to find that families and individuals are not getting enough
:07:55. > :07:58.to eat in one of the richest countries in the world is a scandal.
:07:59. > :08:01.The Bishop of Birmingham's signature is on an open letter to the Prime
:08:02. > :08:07.Minister criticising failures in the benefit system. It states, "This is
:08:08. > :08:13.a national crisis and one we must rise to". In reply, the Government
:08:14. > :08:17.said it aimed to make people less dependent. But for Becky Beasley,
:08:18. > :08:22.collecting her food parcel at Sparkhill food bank today, those
:08:23. > :08:25.words cut no ice. She is suffering from depression, struggling to find
:08:26. > :08:30.work, and her benefit payments have been delayed. The Government should
:08:31. > :08:35.have ?50 a week to live on like we do. If we didn't have food banks, we
:08:36. > :08:39.would be begging on the street. The Government isn't seeing it because
:08:40. > :08:42.they haven't lived like that. The food bank here says that the
:08:43. > :08:45.Bishop's letter is particularly timely, because earlier this week it
:08:46. > :08:51.set a new record, giving out 41 food parcels in the space of just three
:08:52. > :08:54.hours. The Bishop's letter also points out wages have stagnated
:08:55. > :08:58.while food prices have risen, so some in work are struggling as well
:08:59. > :09:05.` an assertion backed up by supervisors here. Some people are
:09:06. > :09:08.perhaps on a zero hours contract, and so they are not able to claim
:09:09. > :09:12.job`seeker's Allowance, and suddenly they find themselves in a desperate
:09:13. > :09:20.situation when they are not able to get any money. In addition to the
:09:21. > :09:23.letter, the church in Birmingham is to produce a hunger journal,
:09:24. > :09:30.allowing those who were skipping meals to tell their stories.
:09:31. > :09:33.With the December deadline looming, the mammoth task of withdrawing
:09:34. > :09:36.British troops from Afghanistan is stepping up a gear, and soldiers
:09:37. > :09:43.from the Midlands are in the thick of it. It's costing the UK ?300
:09:44. > :09:46.million to leave Afghanistan. 5,500 containers of equipment will have to
:09:47. > :09:53.be brought back, along with 400 tonnes of ammunition cases. The
:09:54. > :09:57.supply convoys are being driven by soldiers from our region. They run
:09:58. > :10:03.the risk of roadside bombs on a daily basis. From Helmand Province,
:10:04. > :10:07.Jeremy Ball reports. Imagine getting stuck behind this
:10:08. > :10:11.lot when you are trying to get to work. More than 50 heavily armoured
:10:12. > :10:15.trucks travelling in convoy. It's called a combat logistics patrol.
:10:16. > :10:20.There are drivers here from Tamworth and Telford. Mark Hanslo comes from
:10:21. > :10:25.Sutton Coldfield. It's pretty fun, to be honest. IED threats are
:10:26. > :10:28.probably one of the main problems we have out here. It's mostly pressure
:10:29. > :10:33.plate or operated IEDs, that if a vehicle rolls over it, it explodes.
:10:34. > :10:36.It must be frightening when that happens. I wouldn't like to be
:10:37. > :10:39.underneath it when it goes off. The convoys are collecting millions of
:10:40. > :10:42.pounds worth of sensitive equipment from British bases that are being
:10:43. > :10:48.closed, including weapons, vehicles, and power plants. It makes them a
:10:49. > :10:50.prime target for the Taliban. That's why these huge force protection
:10:51. > :10:55.vehicles are pushing rollers in front of them. They are designed to
:10:56. > :10:58.take the force of the blast if they hit an improvised bomb. In fact, the
:10:59. > :11:03.protection is so good that hundreds of British soldiers have survived
:11:04. > :11:07.IED strikes. The latest occupational hazard is known as a pillow charge
:11:08. > :11:12.IED ` a sack full of explosives that is thrown underneath their vehicle.
:11:13. > :11:16.I wasn't expecting the bang when it went off, so I was a bit jumpy. A
:11:17. > :11:20.lot of the kids, you get 50% who wave at you, the other half will
:11:21. > :11:25.throw stones at you or gesture to you. What surprised you most? Having
:11:26. > :11:30.six people on one motorbike. It's quite crazy. Just the way they live,
:11:31. > :11:36.the way they drive ` it is quite mad, you know? This driving is
:11:37. > :11:45.pretty unusual too. It is an army heading home after more than 12
:11:46. > :11:47.years at war. The UK's military role in
:11:48. > :11:53.Afghanistan since 2001 has brought with it a heavy human toll. The
:11:54. > :11:56.number of deaths stands at 447 ` with nearly 2,200 people flown back
:11:57. > :12:03.to UK hospitals after being wounded in action. Many of those servicemen
:12:04. > :12:06.and women are brought to Birmingham, with families from around the
:12:07. > :12:10.country heading to Selly Oak to support their loved ones. And, at
:12:11. > :12:24.times of enormous emotional strain, help is provided at a special home
:12:25. > :12:26.in the city. Since 2003, more than 2000 British personnel have been
:12:27. > :12:33.seriously injured in Afghanistan. Seeders like Stephen. We were going
:12:34. > :12:39.through the desert and I hit an IED. From the damaged that it did in
:12:40. > :12:41.my legs, they decided to amputate one of my legs.
:12:42. > :12:45.Like thousands of his colleagues, Steven was flown to the UK to be
:12:46. > :12:49.treated at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Fiancee Amy was
:12:50. > :12:58.there throughout. It was heartbreaking. He flew back, and it
:12:59. > :13:02.is like your world falls apart when you hear the news. With Steven in a
:13:03. > :13:05.coma, being close was vital ` and that was made possible by the
:13:06. > :13:09.military charity SSAFA and their base in the city. It may look like a
:13:10. > :13:12.normal house on a Birmingham street, but to the people that stay here,
:13:13. > :13:15.it's much, much more. Since 2009, the families of 1,800 injured
:13:16. > :13:18.servicemen and women have stayed here at Norton House, and today it's
:13:19. > :13:21.celebrating its fifth birthday. To help with the birthday celebrations,
:13:22. > :13:29.volunteers from the 167 Catering Regiment were on hand. There are a
:13:30. > :13:33.few of us who come down and volunteered to cook for the
:13:34. > :13:42.families. It is a worthwhile task, and we enjoy doing it. Norton house
:13:43. > :13:50.can accommodate several families. This is a fully functional disabled
:13:51. > :13:55.room. You have touched a lot of people 's lives. Some people stay
:13:56. > :13:58.for one night, some people say for seven nights. And after five years,
:13:59. > :14:01.many former residents and volunteers were back to celebrate ` including
:14:02. > :14:07.Caroline Boyd, who was one of the first to use the house when her son
:14:08. > :14:10.Sami was injured in 2009. All you had to concentrate on with your son
:14:11. > :14:14.getting better, and you didn't have to think about driving home or
:14:15. > :14:17.making food or doing anything. It was the most incredible place, and
:14:18. > :14:21.looking back on it, it was fantastic. It is a fantastic
:14:22. > :14:25.facility. As the campaign in Afghanistan draws to a close, the
:14:26. > :14:28.number of people being injured has dropped ` but as Birmingham remains
:14:29. > :14:31.the main centre for military casualties, the need for Norton
:14:32. > :14:38.House and the support it offers to their families continues.
:14:39. > :14:43.Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly. This is our top story
:14:44. > :14:46.tonight: Turning the tide after the floods ` firms look to social media
:14:47. > :14:50.to drive home their message ` "we're open for business".
:14:51. > :14:53.Also in tonight's programme, we revisit one of the worst flood`hit
:14:54. > :15:04.villages from 2007. What lessons can be learned seven years on?
:15:05. > :15:10.Friends of a rower stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean say she
:15:11. > :15:13.won't give up until she finishes the 3,000`mile race. Hannah Lawton, from
:15:14. > :15:18.Stoke`on`Trent, and her team`mate, Lauren Morton, are waiting for a
:15:19. > :15:22.replacement rudder for their boat. This is where they are now ` almost
:15:23. > :15:28.1,000 nautical miles from the finish in Antigua. In a moment, I'll be
:15:29. > :15:32.talking to a rower who knows what it's like to be stranded at sea, but
:15:33. > :15:35.first, here's Dan Pallett. He's a worried parent, and why he
:15:36. > :15:38.wouldn't he be? John Lawton's daughter, Hannah, seen here at the
:15:39. > :15:42.front, is trying to row across the Atlantic with her friend, Lauren
:15:43. > :15:45.Morton. They prepared for months, but their progress is slow after
:15:46. > :15:50.their rudder and two spares were broken in a storm. So the pair and
:15:51. > :15:58.their boat, Inspirational Friends, are 1127 miles away from the finish.
:15:59. > :16:02.If the storms have been bad on mainland Britain, at sea, it's even
:16:03. > :16:05.worse. They've had a lot of problems with the boat. Serious problems with
:16:06. > :16:08.the boat. Some competitors have abandoned the race with similar
:16:09. > :16:15.issues, but they decided to stick with it, to endure and hopefully
:16:16. > :16:19.complete the challenge. Hannah's blog posts highlight how tough it
:16:20. > :16:24.has been. She has written that the dangers are very real and can be
:16:25. > :16:28.scary at times. This is the race website. Here is the finish line in
:16:29. > :16:32.Antigua in the Caribbean. As of midday today, Inspirational Friends
:16:33. > :16:37.are still way out here. That is 980 nautical miles from the finish.
:16:38. > :16:41.Hannah's a coach at Worcester Rowing Club, where this week, the clean`up
:16:42. > :16:45.is underway after the floods. Vicky is a friend who has been in regular
:16:46. > :16:49.contact via e`mail. She says the pair are determined to finish the
:16:50. > :16:55.race as they are rowing in memory of a friend, Elena, who died of cancer
:16:56. > :16:57.aged just 23. They are raising money for two charities, Jo's Cervical
:16:58. > :17:01.Cancer Trust, and Martin House Hospice, who cared for Elena when
:17:02. > :17:05.she was ill. I think the inspiration behind her as a friend, the way in
:17:06. > :17:10.which she faced the illness, they're not going to stop. Inspirational
:17:11. > :17:16.Friends have already been at sea for 78 days, and they hope to reach
:17:17. > :17:28.Antigua by the end of next month. This is one race where taking part
:17:29. > :17:31.really is everything. We wish them well.
:17:32. > :17:35.So, what's it like to be stranded at sea, up the creek without a paddle `
:17:36. > :17:39.well, rudder? In 2004, Richard Wood became the 11th person to row across
:17:40. > :17:42.the Atlantic. It took him 101 days ` and he's here now. Good evening.
:17:43. > :17:51.What will the women be going through right now? Tremendous psychological
:17:52. > :17:58.battle. It is really tough. I was coming down a big wave, lying in my
:17:59. > :18:02.cabin relaxing, and suddenly I knew there was something wrong with the
:18:03. > :18:08.boat. I could feel it. I went out onto the deck and I put my feet into
:18:09. > :18:12.the thing that stirred the boat, and there was pressure on, so I knew
:18:13. > :18:23.something had gone wrong. That is the rudder? It is upside down. The
:18:24. > :18:29.original parts was the aluminium piece the rudder was in, and the
:18:30. > :18:32.next morning, I spent ages trying with ropes to find a different way
:18:33. > :18:37.of steering. I realised I couldn't do anything and I was stuck. Anyway
:18:38. > :18:41.I could get out of it was to use my initiative. I spent a few days
:18:42. > :18:49.trying to think hard to get myself out of this. Mine was an
:18:50. > :18:55.old`fashioned boat made of plywood. You must have tremendous physical
:18:56. > :19:00.and psychological strength. Henry Ford once said if you think you can,
:19:01. > :19:05.you can. That's what it is about. The real about Ocean rowing is to
:19:06. > :19:14.never give up. Can you remember clearly? Absolutely. It was amazing.
:19:15. > :19:18.It was good when the wind was up because she could get on top and
:19:19. > :19:26.serve the waves. You could do 65 miles a day. I would predict they
:19:27. > :19:32.won't get their until April now. You have had a stroke. But you would do
:19:33. > :19:37.it again? I wanted to prove that there is life after stroke. I didn't
:19:38. > :19:48.want to sit down and become a blogger. Life is a disabled person
:19:49. > :19:53.is horrendous. What will you do? I want to be the first disabled person
:19:54. > :20:00.to read the Pacific. But you have one side not working. Yes, my right
:20:01. > :20:04.side is not working. To be able to do a world first, I have to have the
:20:05. > :20:10.disability, so if I didn't have that, I would be able to get a world
:20:11. > :20:16.first. Think is coming in an inspiration.
:20:17. > :20:19.?1 million needs to be found to restore one of the finest examples
:20:20. > :20:22.of medieval architecture in the country. 15th century Beauchamp
:20:23. > :20:26.Chapel in St Mary's Warwick is said to rival the best of Westminster
:20:27. > :20:29.Abbey ` yet few are aware of its existence. Joan Cummins reports.
:20:30. > :20:33.St Mary's church in the heart of Warwick was established in 1123. The
:20:34. > :20:39.reformation, great fire of Warwick, and centuries of industrialisation
:20:40. > :20:42.have started to take their toll. Richard was described as the richest
:20:43. > :20:51.man in England when he left money for this ?5,000 chapel in the 15th
:20:52. > :20:59.century. Now it will cost more than ?1 million to keep it in
:21:00. > :21:04.21st`century condition. It is in a state. It is a wonderful building,
:21:05. > :21:08.and it does need to be restored and is renovated for future generations
:21:09. > :21:11.so that we can pass on this treasure. Whilst a ?40,000 grant has
:21:12. > :21:13.been awarded to repair falling masonry on the outside...it's the
:21:14. > :21:16.hidden treasures within the Beauchamp Chapel that are now the
:21:17. > :21:27.focus of a restoration campaign to preserve the priceless medieval
:21:28. > :21:32.craftmanship within. This chapel was built with the greatest skill by
:21:33. > :21:39.obviously very competent medieval craftsmen. Richard de Beauchamp
:21:40. > :21:42.built it specifically to commemorate a person and to have masses and
:21:43. > :21:47.services held in memory of them for ever. This is one of the best if not
:21:48. > :21:49.the best resource for that. Originally the tomb of Richard
:21:50. > :21:52.Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was a place of pilgrimage. He was
:21:53. > :21:56.recognised as a national figure who supported the monarchy and even
:21:57. > :22:05.presided over the trial of Joan of Arc. The people, I think, would have
:22:06. > :22:13.been in mentally impressed that they was this place that is so beautiful
:22:14. > :22:18.and colourful. We have visitors from all over the world, and they come in
:22:19. > :22:21.here and just marvel and say, it has been a highlight of our day.
:22:22. > :22:28.Restoration work will begin in the spring on what's regarded as a
:22:29. > :22:32.hidden gem of the county. ??NEWLNE Back now to the story that's
:22:33. > :22:35.dominated the news for the last ten days ` the floods. On Tuesday, our
:22:36. > :22:38.reporter Joanne Writtle visited Severn Stoke, a village near
:22:39. > :22:43.Worcester, where some residents have been cut off by the River Severn.
:22:44. > :22:48.Five miles downstream is Uckinghall, which was devastated by the floods
:22:49. > :22:52.of 2007. Seven years on, Uckinghall is flood`free. Joanne's been there
:22:53. > :22:56.today, seeking advice and solace for homeowners currently knee deep in
:22:57. > :23:01.water. The village of Uckinghall looks calm
:23:02. > :23:08.and dry today. Not a flooded home in sight. Hard to imagine then that
:23:09. > :23:11.this was the same village in 2007. It's all thanks to ?1 million of
:23:12. > :23:18.flood defences, including this wall and gate. Anne was used to being
:23:19. > :23:21.flooded. Three times in total, the last being 2007, which was the
:23:22. > :23:29.grandaddy of them all, when the water came up and through the
:23:30. > :23:34.letterbox. What is it like now? Absolutely brilliant. This Tudor
:23:35. > :23:42.house is dry now, but seven years ago, water poured in, causing
:23:43. > :23:45.devastation. The flood defences have made all the difference. It wasn't
:23:46. > :23:50.easy to get them. We had to work hard at it. We had to get together
:23:51. > :23:53.as a group and put communal effort into it. Judy heads up the flood
:23:54. > :23:58.action group. Part of the defences include a pumping station. She says
:23:59. > :24:01.it's important not to be complacent. This is Charlie Two Pumps, and we
:24:02. > :24:05.love him. It won't fail. We have three villagers who are trained to
:24:06. > :24:08.manually override the pump if it should fail. I've also got another
:24:09. > :24:15.wonderful villager who, every day during a flood situation, comes out
:24:16. > :24:19.and checks it four times a day. Just by the pumping station, this is the
:24:20. > :24:24.clay bend that was built. Over here is how far the river came up a few
:24:25. > :24:29.days ago. In actual fact, the banks of the River Severn are half a mile
:24:30. > :24:34.over that way. This was Judy's cottage under water in 2007. It took
:24:35. > :24:41.two years to repair the damage, but today, it is flood`free. The water
:24:42. > :24:45.came up to about, I would say here. I had chest waders on, which is
:24:46. > :24:48.useful. 20 homes were flooded here seven years ago. Judy's advice to
:24:49. > :24:54.others fighting for defences is stick together for a long fight.
:24:55. > :25:02.Have faith, and the defences they now have is clear. Quiet confidence.
:25:03. > :25:05.I know that doesn't sound like a celebration, and I have to say that
:25:06. > :25:08.when my cottage flooded, I remember actually opening a bottle of
:25:09. > :25:12.champagne the next morning because I felt I needed it. Isn't that odd?
:25:13. > :25:23.This time, I had a cup of coffee and went to bed.
:25:24. > :25:28.Well, we've been told today that this has been the wettest winter on
:25:29. > :25:30.record. Not a total surprise! It all seems a bit quieter now. How's the
:25:31. > :25:41.forecast looking, Shefali? It is a sad statistic, but no
:25:42. > :25:46.surprise. We have one more week to go before the season ends, so all
:25:47. > :25:52.the records have been broken, and all that is loved to say by how
:25:53. > :25:58.much. This year's figures narrowly beat the previous record set in 1995
:25:59. > :26:04.by about one millimetre. We have had 487 millimetres of rain. There is
:26:05. > :26:08.still more to come this week. We have another wet day ahead of us on
:26:09. > :26:13.Sunday. This will produce more rain then we had last night, because the
:26:14. > :26:17.jet stream is looking further south. This is the system that will bring
:26:18. > :26:22.it in. It is a one sector sequence, and it will be to higher
:26:23. > :26:25.temperatures, because over the next few hours, we are looking at
:26:26. > :26:30.temperatures dropping. They could be a fair amount of rain. You could see
:26:31. > :26:36.the ice bars. Winds will be strong as well. We won't see a repeat of
:26:37. > :26:41.the recent storms. We're looking at a few more showers in the region.
:26:42. > :26:48.They are gradually going to peter out later on. The frequency will
:26:49. > :26:52.decrease. We're looking at largely dry conditions and clearer skies. A
:26:53. > :26:56.very different night from night, where we have clearer skies, drier
:26:57. > :27:01.conditions, and colder ones as well. Temperatures dropping to around two
:27:02. > :27:05.degrees. This colder air will come in contact with the showers as the
:27:06. > :27:09.activity steps up through the day tomorrow, so we could see some hail
:27:10. > :27:16.or possibly snow mixed in there over the highs. A good deal of sunshine
:27:17. > :27:20.in between, and temperatures rising up to seven or eight degrees. It
:27:21. > :27:22.will be tampered by that story breeze coming in from the south
:27:23. > :27:25.west. Thank you. Tonight's headlines from the BBC:
:27:26. > :27:27.The deadliest day of Ukraine's protests ` many are killed as a
:27:28. > :27:36.fragile truce breaks down. And a week after the record`breaking
:27:37. > :27:39.floods, Worcester business owners use social media to entice shoppers
:27:40. > :27:43.back to the city. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be
:27:44. > :27:49.back at ten o'clock with your latest update. Have a good evening.