:00:00. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight. Inaddquate `
:00:09. > :00:16.a scathing verdict on Coventry's children's services after the death
:00:17. > :00:19.of four`year`old Daniel Pelka. I was expecting we would find ourselves in
:00:20. > :00:22.difficulty. It was a great disappointment that we get the final
:00:23. > :00:25.judgement. But the shadow children's minister says that the council
:00:26. > :00:29.should be given time to turn things around. Also tonight, they lay be
:00:30. > :00:34.vital to farmers, but plans in the air to stop wind turbines cropping
:00:35. > :00:39.up on our most stunning scenery It is spoiling the Vista for pdople. It
:00:40. > :00:41.is spoiling the moorlands as Despair over plans to close the reghon's
:00:42. > :00:53.only Olympic`size swimming pool A whole. We are jumping with joy for
:00:54. > :00:55.Sport Relief 2014. Join me live in Halesowen. Spring may have sprung
:00:56. > :01:00.but it will feel more like winter this weekend, with ice warnhngs and
:01:01. > :01:02.the possibility of snow over higher ground. The full forecast coming up
:01:03. > :01:11.later. Good evening. Inadequate ` that s
:01:12. > :01:15.how government inspectors h`ve described children's servicds at
:01:16. > :01:17.Coventry City Council. The department was inspected following
:01:18. > :01:20.the murder of four`year`old Daniel Pelka in 2012 and a Serious Case
:01:21. > :01:23.Review that claimed that thdre'd been a number of "missed
:01:24. > :01:29.opportunities" leading up to his death. In December last year, nearly
:01:30. > :01:33.4,500 children were being hdlped by the service, but that had increased
:01:34. > :01:39.by more than 1,000 from the previous March. However, Ofsted found there
:01:40. > :01:49.were are serious failures whthin the service that could leave chhldren at
:01:50. > :01:53.risk of harm. Joan Cummins reports. Daniel Pelka was just four xears old
:01:54. > :01:56.when he was murdered, following months of systematic abuse `t the
:01:57. > :02:00.hands of his mother and stepfather. The Serious Case Review into his
:02:01. > :02:04.death highlighted a number of missed opportunities by all agencids and
:02:05. > :02:11.made recommendations to improve communication. Six months after this
:02:12. > :02:14.and two years after Daniel's death, and Ofsted save the children's
:02:15. > :02:22.services in Coventry are in`dequate. It is very disappointing, it is what
:02:23. > :02:25.I expected when I took over as executive director in December. I
:02:26. > :02:29.was clear about the challenges because of Daniel and the w`y we had
:02:30. > :02:34.increased referrals into chhldren's social care, so I was expecting we
:02:35. > :02:38.would find ourselves in difficulty. It is with great disappointlent that
:02:39. > :02:42.we get the final judgement. Brian Walsh is the man whose job ht is to
:02:43. > :02:48.protect the 4300 children identified as being in need of specialhst
:02:49. > :02:53.services in the city. But Ofsted say there are still children left at
:02:54. > :02:57.risk of harm. I can never, dver guarantee that every single child in
:02:58. > :03:01.Coventry will be safe. I can never do that. All I can say is what we
:03:02. > :03:06.have learned from Serious C`se Reviews, from Daniel and Ofsted we
:03:07. > :03:10.are doing our very best with our partners to provide a safe service
:03:11. > :03:15.for children in Coventry. The Daniel effect has resulted in an almost 50%
:03:16. > :03:19.increase in referrals to social services, increasing the caseload on
:03:20. > :03:24.social workers. The council say they investigate extra ?5.6 millhon in
:03:25. > :03:30.children's services and on recruiting, but Ofsted say there are
:03:31. > :03:33.still weaknesses. Clearly wd are accepting those judgements, but we
:03:34. > :03:37.are doing something about it. We are doing something about it in terms of
:03:38. > :03:44.resources and we are doing something about it in terms of the wax that
:03:45. > :03:47.the work is actually carried out. Leadership, management and
:03:48. > :03:51.governance are inadequate. Lanagers have not yet sufficiently t`ckled
:03:52. > :03:57.weaknesses. How does that m`ke you feel? This does not happen
:03:58. > :04:00.overnight. There clearly is in the Ofsted judgement and inerti` or
:04:01. > :04:05.slowness in the way the council responded, not only to the serious
:04:06. > :04:09.Review but the review last Larch that perhaps did not have as much
:04:10. > :04:13.pace as it should have been, not to get to the position we find
:04:14. > :04:17.ourselves in today. The Dep`rtment of education said they accepted that
:04:18. > :04:21.improvement takes time but said this report demonstrates that thd rate of
:04:22. > :04:25.change has not been good enough They are now considering thdir
:04:26. > :04:28.actions to ensure that all vulnerable children are protected in
:04:29. > :04:31.the city. Ofsted also ruled that the Local
:04:32. > :04:33.Safeguarding Board was inaddquate and insufficient progress h`d been
:04:34. > :04:40.made in improving multi`agency working. The Chair of the Board said
:04:41. > :04:44.they remained determined to deliver rapid improvement over the coming
:04:45. > :04:47.months. Earlier I spoke to Steve McCabe, the MP for Birmingh`m Selly
:04:48. > :04:55.Oak, who's the shadow children's minister. I asked what was his
:04:56. > :05:00.reaction to the Ofsted findhngs Well, they are pretty grim. I don't
:05:01. > :05:06.think anyone could be at all satisfied to hear some of the things
:05:07. > :05:10.they describe. I don't think it s at all unexpected. People have known
:05:11. > :05:15.for some time this inspection took place in January, and early
:05:16. > :05:19.February, so they have been aware of it for some time, but clearly it is
:05:20. > :05:25.not good enough and that is what we see. There are three childrdn's
:05:26. > :05:29.services, Birmingham, Coventry and Sandwell, inadequate. What hs going
:05:30. > :05:33.wrong? Well, I don't think there is a single thing going wrong. That is
:05:34. > :05:38.the first thing to note. Thdre are things that the local authorities
:05:39. > :05:44.have to do, Coventry have actually, the Ofsted report acknowledges that
:05:45. > :05:49.Coventry have made some progress, they have to strengthen thehr
:05:50. > :05:55.leadership, they have two ilproves liaison with other agencies, like
:05:56. > :05:58.the police for example, havd to play a much clearer role. That is what
:05:59. > :06:04.the authorities have to do. There is an issue about the calibre of people
:06:05. > :06:08.going into social work and H think we do have to raise that a bit. The
:06:09. > :06:13.social workers themselves are toiling with the most enormous
:06:14. > :06:20.caseloads that `` and that comes through in the Ofsted report. No one
:06:21. > :06:23.can do social work with casdloads of that size. The Department of
:06:24. > :06:27.education have said that thdy are going to take action of somd sort.
:06:28. > :06:30.Just over a year from now you could be in government, you could be
:06:31. > :06:35.responsible for taking some sort of action. What would you do? Ht is
:06:36. > :06:39.important to acknowledge th`t the Ofsted report actually says that
:06:40. > :06:46.Coventry themselves are takhng some quite decisive steps and thdy
:06:47. > :06:49.praised the new director, they acknowledge the effort to ilprove.
:06:50. > :06:53.My own instinct is we should work with them and see if we can turn
:06:54. > :06:59.this around, but ultimately obviously Michael Gove has the power
:07:00. > :07:02.to send in his own team. But I say you only do that if you are
:07:03. > :07:08.absolutely convinced that there is no other option because that is the
:07:09. > :07:11.final opportunity. Steve McCabe thank you. And there's more on this
:07:12. > :07:15.and reaction on the Sunday Politics Show with Patrick Burns at 01:0 am
:07:16. > :07:18.here on BBC One. Coming up later in the programme ` changing lanes, as
:07:19. > :07:19.work begins this weekend to dismantle some of Coventry's
:07:20. > :07:30.notorious ring road. New measures could be brought in to
:07:31. > :07:33.stop wind turbines being buhlt in some of the highest and most
:07:34. > :07:36.picturesque parts of the Midlands. But there are worries it'll cut off
:07:37. > :07:44.much needed income for farmdrs. Here's BBC Radio Stoke's political
:07:45. > :07:49.reporter Phil McCann. Robert Gosling's family has been
:07:50. > :07:53.dairy farming for 50 years, but his energy costs have doubled over the
:07:54. > :07:58.last five years. So he is h`ving a turbine installed. If we can cut the
:07:59. > :08:02.?20,000 electric cost, we c`n use that money to invest in the
:08:03. > :08:05.business. We employ people locally, so it should have a big effdct not
:08:06. > :08:10.only on our own business but the local economy as well. Robert is
:08:11. > :08:15.lucky that his turbine is jtst over one mile outside Staffordshhre in
:08:16. > :08:18.Derbyshire, because in the Staffordshire Moorlands District
:08:19. > :08:22.Council wants to use new powers to all but banned them if they are over
:08:23. > :08:25.15 metres tall and in open countryside. But the Staffordshire
:08:26. > :08:30.countryside that is installhng this turbine says it is all an
:08:31. > :08:33.overreaction. There is a lot of worry around wind turbines but most
:08:34. > :08:38.people are broadly supportive as long as they are sensibly shted and
:08:39. > :08:42.done in a way which does not impose themselves to drastically. But the
:08:43. > :08:46.council insists farmers don't have a right to ruin the landscape. Here in
:08:47. > :08:49.the Staffordshire Moorlands we have some of the most beautiful
:08:50. > :08:54.countryside in the UK, but unfortunately we have been hnundated
:08:55. > :08:58.with applications for wind turbines and this is having a detrimdntal
:08:59. > :09:01.effect on the openness of the countryside. And that stancd has
:09:02. > :09:06.some support from those who live in the highest parts of the Midlands.
:09:07. > :09:09.The council has a right to dnquire into these things because it is for
:09:10. > :09:15.the benefit of the Staffordshire Moorlands. If they stick thdm where
:09:16. > :09:19.they have done, there are three or four around now, I don't thhnk there
:09:20. > :09:23.is any consideration given to the siting of them. They are all right
:09:24. > :09:26.from a distance. Wind turbines are seen as essential for the ftture of
:09:27. > :09:31.farming but farming is not the only industry in a plate `` in a place
:09:32. > :09:34.like this. There is also totrism and the thinking is that tourists and
:09:35. > :09:37.voters don't want to see wind turbines, but the government and
:09:38. > :09:43.planning inspectors will get the final say over the council's
:09:44. > :09:48.proposals. Use just coming in, signallhng
:09:49. > :09:51.problems at Birmingham's new Street Station are causing disrupthon for
:09:52. > :09:56.travellers this evening. Arriva trains, Wales, cross countrx, Virgin
:09:57. > :09:59.Trains are all operating on a reduced service, delays of half an
:10:00. > :10:02.hour and others being cancelled Bridgnorth Aluminium is cre`ting 65
:10:03. > :10:07.new jobs and investing ?41 lillion into its plant in the Shropshire
:10:08. > :10:09.town. The company, which makes coiled aluminium for food, graphics
:10:10. > :10:15.and pharmaceutical products, says the investment will double the
:10:16. > :10:20.capacity of the plant. The new production line is due to bd in
:10:21. > :10:24.operation by the end of next year. But more than 200 jobs are to go at
:10:25. > :10:27.a food company in Wolverhampton Freshway Chilled Foods says it'll
:10:28. > :10:31.have to close its site on the Stafford Road in June, after losing
:10:32. > :10:36.a major contract. Some staff may be relocated to other parts of the
:10:37. > :10:40.company. Plans have been approved by councillors in Stoke on Trent to
:10:41. > :10:46.spend ?800,000 on a bid for a high speed railway station in thd city.
:10:47. > :10:48.Part of the money will be spent gathering expert opinion as the city
:10:49. > :10:51.council tries to persuade the company behind HS2 to develop a
:10:52. > :10:56.station in Stoke on Trent r`ther than the current preferred location
:10:57. > :11:00.at Crewe. And Stoke on Trent's favourite son Robbie Willials is to
:11:01. > :11:03.be granted the Freedom of the City. Councillors voted unanimously to
:11:04. > :11:07.bestow him with the honour for his charity work, and raising the city's
:11:08. > :11:11.profile. It coincides with celebrations for the star's 40th
:11:12. > :11:14.birthday, last month. The Stoke Sentinel newspaper ` now in its
:11:15. > :11:21.160th year ` is also being granted Freeman status. Joy for somd, dismay
:11:22. > :11:24.for others this weekend as lajor work gets underway on dismantling
:11:25. > :11:29.part of Coventry's infamous ring road. The aim's to make the city
:11:30. > :11:38.centre more accessible, but, as Kevin Reide reports, there's a mixed
:11:39. > :11:42.reaction to the plans. Though it took a total of 14 years to build
:11:43. > :11:46.one was heralded as a new era for road travel with nine juncthons
:11:47. > :11:50.flyovers and underpasses, it became loved by some and loathed bx
:11:51. > :11:55.others. Today, the concrete is looking tired and this weekdnd work
:11:56. > :11:59.starts taking down some of the ugliest parts. The aim is to make
:12:00. > :12:01.Coventry more inviting to vhsitors from the city's railway station and
:12:02. > :12:06.that means this section of the ring road will also be taken down. That
:12:07. > :12:10.will mean the end of this d`rk underpass. It is all part of the
:12:11. > :12:14.Friargate development which will see many 60s buildings engulfing the
:12:15. > :12:17.city's railway station demolished, eventually the section of rhng road
:12:18. > :12:21.in the centre of the screen will be covered over creating what the
:12:22. > :12:25.council are calling a boulevard When you come out of Coventry
:12:26. > :12:31.station, a station which has grown over 140% in the last ten ydars you
:12:32. > :12:35.walk into a car park. We nedd to link our station with our f`bulous
:12:36. > :12:43.city, so it will be tree`lined, open space, green, it will be a fantastic
:12:44. > :12:45.first impression. But some feel the changes will damage the ring road's
:12:46. > :12:49.integrity and force heavy traffic into surrounding areas. We `re not
:12:50. > :12:52.objecting to the development. What is wrong is the trust back `` the
:12:53. > :12:56.traffic aspects have not bedn planned and there will be not enough
:12:57. > :13:00.capacity to take the additional traffic generated by the development
:13:01. > :13:02.and as a result of that hugd amounts of traffic are going to be driven
:13:03. > :13:06.through residential areas, which will seriously degrade them. The
:13:07. > :13:15.work begins tomorrow and various road closures schemes will be put in
:13:16. > :13:21.place over the next year. Otr top story tonight. Inadequate, `
:13:22. > :13:24.scathing verdict on Coventrx's children's services after the death
:13:25. > :13:27.of four`year`old Daniel Pelka. Rebecca will be here with the
:13:28. > :13:33.weekend weather forecasting a moment. Not too thrilling, H am
:13:34. > :13:37.afraid! Also, a daunting ch`llenge, the former cancer patient trapped
:13:38. > :13:41.planning to travel 32,000 mhles around the world by bike and boat.
:13:42. > :13:44.And not everyone's favouritd amphibian, but we are about to see
:13:45. > :13:50.an explosion in the frog population. Find out why.
:13:51. > :13:55.The head coach of one of thd region's biggest swimming clubs says
:13:56. > :13:59.they may have to turn children away, if the only 50 metre pool in the
:14:00. > :14:02.West Midlands closes. Coventry Council's planning to shut the city
:14:03. > :14:08.sports centre because it's losing money. But figures from the Amateur
:14:09. > :14:11.Swimming Association show that half of all children aged between seven
:14:12. > :14:15.and 11 are unable to swim 24 metres, one in five adults can't swhm at
:14:16. > :14:20.all, and there are only 17 fifty metre pools across England. But a
:14:21. > :14:23.significant number of local authorities are struggling to keep
:14:24. > :14:32.pools open, as Nick Clitheroe reports.
:14:33. > :14:36.Training night at the city of Coventry training club and the pool
:14:37. > :14:40.is full. Some are potential Olympians, others are learnhng to
:14:41. > :14:43.swim, but they all come togdther at the only indoor 50 metre pool in the
:14:44. > :14:46.West Midlands. For how much longer, because the city council has
:14:47. > :14:51.proposed shutting this pool and replacing it with a new one half the
:14:52. > :14:57.size. This building is not fit for purpose any longer and we are losing
:14:58. > :15:01.up to ?2000 a day, which is ?70 ,000 a year, in terms of subsidising it.
:15:02. > :15:05.The Coventry sports Centre hs showing its age, with nets `cross
:15:06. > :15:09.the ceiling to stop roof tiles falling on the swimmers below. But
:15:10. > :15:12.it is vital to the club, so they invited a delegation from the
:15:13. > :15:17.council down to see their work. We couldn't pick up what we do in the
:15:18. > :15:21.50 metre pool here and put ht into the proposed six lane and 24 metres,
:15:22. > :15:25.there would not be enough room. We would have to either cut down
:15:26. > :15:29.drastically the amount we do with each swimmer, or we have to ask a
:15:30. > :15:34.certain amount of swimmers to go somewhere else, which would be a
:15:35. > :15:38.tragedy. And you 50 metre pool will be opened on this site in Bhrmingham
:15:39. > :15:43.in 2016, but it has been buhlt by the university and not the City
:15:44. > :15:47.Council `` a new 50 readabld. Birmingham City Council abandoned
:15:48. > :15:50.their plans to build a 50 mdtre pool several years ago. Budget ctts mean
:15:51. > :15:54.they are trying to reduce spending generally. Those pools under threat
:15:55. > :15:59.include this one, in Selly Oak, where users demonstrated earlier
:16:00. > :16:04.this month. So why does it latter so much? When I investigated the
:16:05. > :16:07.Olympic legacy last year, one experienced coach warned sqtandering
:16:08. > :16:11.talent was not the only danger. There will not be people talk to
:16:12. > :16:15.swim, the children will start drowning. They will go for ` swim in
:16:16. > :16:19.the local lake, which will be cold, they will get cramp, they whll
:16:20. > :16:24.drown. There is some more positive news. A new rescue plan for
:16:25. > :16:27.Wolverhampton Central bus whll go to the Council on Monday and even in
:16:28. > :16:35.Coventry they haven't compldtely ruled out making the new pool 5
:16:36. > :16:40.metres long as well. It is Sport Relief today. Thousands
:16:41. > :16:43.of people have been raising money by tackling sporting challenges. In
:16:44. > :16:51.2012 the West Midlands raisdd around ?1.8 million, which helps 360
:16:52. > :16:56.projects here. Dan Pallett hs that one challenge tonight and things are
:16:57. > :16:59.up and down there, Daniel? Ola`macro you could say that. I am at least
:17:00. > :17:05.those high school in Halesowen. The challenge, nonstop 24`hour
:17:06. > :17:11.trampolining. Easy for me to say, not so easy to do. We will have a
:17:12. > :17:14.word with an organiser but host of events taking across `` a host of
:17:15. > :17:17.events taking place across our region today. When the order from
:17:18. > :17:20.the boss is, "Get on your bhke, you might panic ` but BBC Radio Coventry
:17:21. > :17:27.and Warwickshire presenter Phil Upton loves it. He rode 100 miles
:17:28. > :17:30.without going an inch. I fedl very tired but triumphant. It's `
:17:31. > :17:34.fantastic achievement. My friend like Tim here came and supported me
:17:35. > :17:40.so that's helped knock the liles off and the texts and tweets of support
:17:41. > :17:43.has encouraged me over the line In Shrewsbury Sainsbury's staff from
:17:44. > :17:48.across the Midlands gathered to run a mile. They'll be whizzing down
:17:49. > :17:52.those aisles. St Andrew's Primary School in Nescliffe Shropshhre paid
:17:53. > :17:56.homage to Mo Farah, creating a Mobot out of coins. Bannersgate Primary
:17:57. > :18:02.School in Sutton Coldfield have been getting their skates on. Thdy all
:18:03. > :18:06.did a mile. They were thrown in the stocks in Q3 Academy in Birlingham.
:18:07. > :18:09.Is that really still a sport? Did you hear the one about football
:18:10. > :18:13.managers telling jokes? There's a guy going to the doctors, s`id,
:18:14. > :18:18."Doctor, I can't stop stealhng things." He said, "OK, I'm going to
:18:19. > :18:24.give you a prescription and if they don't work, can you get me ` colour
:18:25. > :18:30.television?" LAUGHTER
:18:31. > :18:35.He might be laughing, but look at that, he hasn't got over 16 hours of
:18:36. > :18:40.trampolining to do. But they have here. Let's t`lk too
:18:41. > :18:46.picky, one of the organisers. You have one hell of a challengd on
:18:47. > :18:50.here, haven't you? We have hndeed. Who has been taking part? Ldase over
:18:51. > :18:57.high school has taken over during the day, and another group `t 5pm.
:18:58. > :19:02.This is a big thing for the children. It is, but they are all
:19:03. > :19:06.really excited so it is good. How will you keep them going through the
:19:07. > :19:09.night? They have enough energy to keep going. When I tried
:19:10. > :19:14.trampolining you think it is great fun but after awhile your ldgs get
:19:15. > :19:19.tired. It is physically dem`nding. It is, but most kids I used to it
:19:20. > :19:24.because they do four sessions a week. They are used to it. How much
:19:25. > :19:33.money are you hoping to raise? 500 more. God, how many members have you
:19:34. > :19:40.got? 93 members, I am not stre how many children took part in the day
:19:41. > :19:45.but 93 members plus staff. Whose idea was this? Chris Bennett, who
:19:46. > :19:52.came to me with the idea. I said, yes, we have got to do it. The
:19:53. > :19:57.children carry on until 9am? Yes, well some children are going home at
:19:58. > :20:02.10p a month and the over chhlled `` the older children will stax and
:20:03. > :20:07.finish at 9am the next day. You have volunteers to help? We have, the
:20:08. > :20:12.parents, the staff of the sports centre who have been fabulots.
:20:13. > :20:15.Everyone is pulling together. Yes, it has been overwhelming with
:20:16. > :20:25.support. The best of luck whth it. It is one of so many events taking
:20:26. > :20:29.place. 16 hours, 13 minutes left and I am feeling tired after behng here
:20:30. > :20:33.for 20 minutes. Best of luck to them.
:20:34. > :20:34.Sport Relief begins on BBC One just after Midlands Today with their
:20:35. > :20:38.special programme from the Olympic Park.
:20:39. > :20:44.A former cancer patient is getting ready for an epic journey bx bike
:20:45. > :20:46.and boat. It will take 32,000 miles around the world. Sam Greatrex from
:20:47. > :20:50.Halesowen wants to become the fastest person ever to
:20:51. > :20:56.circumnavigate the globe by human power alone. He is also hophng to
:20:57. > :20:59.raise nearly ?250,000 for M`cmillan Cancer Support. Bob Hockenhtll
:21:00. > :21:03.reports. The rowing machine has been routine
:21:04. > :21:06.exercise for Sam Greatrex for two years. It is all preparation for
:21:07. > :21:12.crossing the world's two largest oceans. It is still incredible to
:21:13. > :21:17.think we will be running for 12 hours a day for almost two lonths
:21:18. > :21:20.and crossing the Atlantic in three months, rowing across the P`cific
:21:21. > :21:27.Ocean. In August, some will leave his home in Halesowen by bike, so he
:21:28. > :21:31.can lap the world. Besides his ocean adventure, he will cycle through 26
:21:32. > :21:36.countries, only two other pdople have ever done it. The fastdst took
:21:37. > :21:42.five years. Some aims to do it in just 18 months. It is going to hurt.
:21:43. > :21:47.It will be by far the hardest thing I will ever do, but I am sure I will
:21:48. > :21:51.make it back to Birmingham with a huge amount of records. The charity
:21:52. > :21:55.worker is no stranger to difficulty. As a ten`year`old he was di`gnosed
:21:56. > :22:02.with cancer and he is using his world challenge to raise ?240,0 0
:22:03. > :22:08.for Macmillan. I am amazed `nd shocked. Talking to other pdople
:22:09. > :22:14.with cancer, I think it changes your perspective on life and I think that
:22:15. > :22:18.is what must have happened with Sam. From Halesowen via Paris and
:22:19. > :22:23.Gibraltar, Sam will row the Atlantic to South America, then the Pacific
:22:24. > :22:29.to Australia. In Darwin did Joe with `` the journey home begins via
:22:30. > :22:34.Singapore, Istanbul and Parhs. Three strokes, turn. Today, Sam w`s up
:22:35. > :22:38.Edgbaston reservoir to get professional tips but unlikd today
:22:39. > :22:42.he will be part of an eight`man crew when he is on the ocean for real. A
:22:43. > :22:47.few times we have not been `ble to get out because of the wind and it
:22:48. > :22:53.is like rowing on the sea. Some of those waves will be pretty
:22:54. > :22:56.horrendous! Having rowed for two years on indoor rowing machhnes it
:22:57. > :23:02.is really nice to get out on the water. Or, in it, if you make a
:23:03. > :23:08.false move. Sam's epic trip begins in August so there is plentx more
:23:09. > :23:12.time for practice. Goodness, what an astonishing
:23:13. > :23:16.challenge. Good luck. Do yot like frogs? Not everyone's cup of tea but
:23:17. > :23:22.wildlife experts in the reghon say the mild wet weather this whnter
:23:23. > :23:25.will lead to an explosion of the frog population. There is m`sses of
:23:26. > :23:31.frogspawn. Young frogs will hatch earlier.
:23:32. > :23:37.The common frog and another, and another. He lives up to his name all
:23:38. > :23:41.right and that community garden in Nuneaton at 2014 looks like being
:23:42. > :23:47.fantastic. There are thousands of rocks. There is so much noise from
:23:48. > :23:51.them croaking. I had a volunteer here this week and he said ht was
:23:52. > :23:57.like standing next to a motorway, the amount of noise they were
:23:58. > :24:00.making. That is the male frog's courtship croaking. It came around
:24:01. > :24:05.ten days earlier this year `nd this was the result. Down here wd have
:24:06. > :24:09.tens of thousands of little frogs in the making. Look at this mass of
:24:10. > :24:13.frogspawn here! Jelly everywhere. This slightly blue collar you can
:24:14. > :24:18.see on the top is newly laid frogspawn and underneath, this has
:24:19. > :24:24.been here a couple of weeks but when they do all hatch they have the
:24:25. > :24:29.perfect habitat. At this old railway line in Rugby, teams of voltnteers
:24:30. > :24:33.have been working hard to hdlp their amphibian friends. This is `n area
:24:34. > :24:36.we have recently cleared ovdr the winter when animals have bedn
:24:37. > :24:41.inactive and in hibernation and you can see it has opened up thd whole
:24:42. > :24:44.area, letting in much more light. Over the summer this will increase
:24:45. > :24:48.the amount of vegetation th`t will grow in and around the ponds and the
:24:49. > :24:53.amount of insects that are found in there. If you have frogspawn in your
:24:54. > :24:57.garden, a word of warning. Xour goldfish will eat them and hf they
:24:58. > :25:02.get to the tadpole stage, you might witness some cannibalism. It is
:25:03. > :25:13.survival of the fittest and of 000 Lakes, only around five will become
:25:14. > :25:16.fully formed frogs `` of 2000 eggs. Will they be jumping for jox when
:25:17. > :25:19.they hear the weekend weathdr forecast?
:25:20. > :25:24.they hear I can offer you wet conditions. Last
:25:25. > :25:28.weekend temperatures were in the mid to high teens. This weekend, we will
:25:29. > :25:35.struggle to get into mid to high single fingers. `` single fhgures. A
:25:36. > :25:39.cold couple of days. We havd frosty nights, wintry showers posshble as
:25:40. > :25:45.we head into tomorrow morning. Hard to believe but spring startdd this
:25:46. > :25:49.week. Tonight, we contend whth heavy rain. It is this front, which is
:25:50. > :25:54.working through. There is a possible deal some showers ahead of that as
:25:55. > :25:58.well. We start off with the showers rattling through. We have a keen
:25:59. > :26:02.breeze tonight. The front m`kes its way through, heavy at times. Quite
:26:03. > :26:06.persistent. Behind that thing clear away and asked the skies cldar
:26:07. > :26:10.temperatures fall away. Any showers could turn wintry over highdr
:26:11. > :26:14.ground. The Met Office has ` yellow warning in place across the North
:26:15. > :26:19.West Midlands. We could see some icy stretches as we wake up tomorrow. It
:26:20. > :26:23.is going to be a rather chilly start to our Saturday. Saturday starts off
:26:24. > :26:26.with wintry showers continuhng, particularly over the higher ground,
:26:27. > :26:32.they pushed their way through. The wind blows them through quickly It
:26:33. > :26:35.starts to brighten up. Showdrs never really too far away. Temper`tures
:26:36. > :26:40.are going to struggle tomorrow. We are only looking at highs of seven,
:26:41. > :26:45.maybe a nine Celsius. Much colder than last week. The showers continue
:26:46. > :26:48.through the end of Saturday and things start to clear overnhght
:26:49. > :26:53.Temperatures dropping away once again but the wind is going to help
:26:54. > :26:58.once again to keep a frost largely at bay. Our temperatures dropping
:26:59. > :27:02.down to minus one Celsius in towns and cities, so it will conthnue to
:27:03. > :27:05.feel chilly. Sunday, not a particularly bad day. Some showers
:27:06. > :27:10.here and there. Some good spells of brightness to come through the day.
:27:11. > :27:18.Overnight, Sunday into Mond`y, temperatures of `2`macro, two minus
:27:19. > :27:20.three Celsius. A cold start, but largely settled.
:27:21. > :27:26.The headlines from the BBC. largely settled.
:27:27. > :27:31.The headlines Europe agrees closer ties with Ukraine on the dax Premier
:27:32. > :27:35.becomes part of Russia. And inadequate, a scathing verdhct on
:27:36. > :27:39.Coventry's children's services, after the death of four`year`old
:27:40. > :27:44.Daniel Pelka. That was the Lidlands Today. We are back at 10pm with the
:27:45. > :27:46.latest update. We leave you with the intrepid trampolinists in H`lesowen.
:27:47. > :27:47.Goodbye for now.