:00:08. > :00:11.Good evening. Health chiefs are tonight issuing advice to p`tients
:00:12. > :00:15.with heart or lung problems as increased levels of air pollution
:00:16. > :00:18.hang over the West Midlands. Weather forecasters say levels are dxpected
:00:19. > :00:23.to soar as local and Europe`n emissions mix with dust frol the
:00:24. > :00:27.Sahara. Pollution experts s`y today's developments are a wake`up
:00:28. > :00:32.call for the Government. Liz Copper reports. At this weather st`tion in
:00:33. > :00:36.Coventry, climatic conditions are measured daily. Methodicallx and
:00:37. > :00:41.meticulously, meteorological data is collected to help forecasters. We
:00:42. > :00:45.are monitoring the weather on an hourly basis. We do this for The Met
:00:46. > :00:47.office and obviously for anx agencies that might be interested,
:00:48. > :00:52.like environmental agencies, in monitoring pollution. This tnusual
:00:53. > :00:55.set of conditions is being closely checked as the region braces itself
:00:56. > :01:01.for high levels of air pollttion over the next few days. The scare at
:01:02. > :01:05.the moment, if there is a scare is about particulate matter. Vdry tiny
:01:06. > :01:08.specks of dust. They get into people's lungs and threaten asthma,
:01:09. > :01:12.and people with bronchial problems, which is why, of course, people are
:01:13. > :01:16.being told not to do any outside strenuous activities. Of cotrse
:01:17. > :01:18.historically, the Midlands' industrial heritage meant ahr
:01:19. > :01:23.pollution levels were much higher than they are now. Although weather
:01:24. > :01:26.experts are urging caution, we are also being encouraged to kedp
:01:27. > :01:32.today's forecast in context and not to panic unduly. Today is something
:01:33. > :01:37.of a wake`up call for us because, actually, we have an underlxing air
:01:38. > :01:40.pollution problem in this country. It's just that most of the time it
:01:41. > :01:47.doesn't trigger the alarms `nd it's not quite as easy to sense with our
:01:48. > :01:49.eyes and noses as it is tod`y. At this monitoring station in
:01:50. > :01:53.Birmingham, the city's air`pollution levels are checked. Environlental
:01:54. > :01:58.groups are concerned emissions could worsen the effects of smog `nd
:01:59. > :02:03.contribute towards poor air quality. It is a massive problem in the UK
:02:04. > :02:06.and in Birmingham. Air pollttion contributes towards 29,000 premature
:02:07. > :02:10.deaths in the UK alone each year and probably to about 500`530 premature
:02:11. > :02:13.deaths in Birmingham alone. Near to Birmingham Airport, the gloomy
:02:14. > :02:17.conditions meant planes could barely be seen this afternoon. But the
:02:18. > :02:20.outlook is set to improve. Meteorologists have been monitoring
:02:21. > :02:24.the situation on an hourly basis. The good news is high pollution
:02:25. > :02:33.levels are expected to ebb `way by the weekend.
:02:34. > :02:36.A worker at a care home in Tividale in the Black Country has bedn
:02:37. > :02:39.arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting an 85`year`old m`n. The
:02:40. > :02:42.25`year`old man worked at W`rrens Hall Nursing Centre, which hs
:02:43. > :02:46.privately run by BUPA and specialises in looking after people
:02:47. > :02:52.with Parkinson's disease. Hd's been released on bail as police carry out
:02:53. > :02:55.further inquiries. A blind man who fought off luggers
:02:56. > :02:59.when they held him at knife`point says he's now too scared to leave
:03:00. > :03:04.his home. Andy Muxlow from Lalvern in Worcestershire was attacked on
:03:05. > :03:07.Friday night. It's thought the muggers watched him take money from
:03:08. > :03:12.a cash point in Barnards Grden before threatening him with a knife.
:03:13. > :03:17.As I was leaving the scene, I heard them shout, well, we know where you
:03:18. > :03:22.live. That has really frightened me. I'm scared to go out on my own now.
:03:23. > :03:25.It has knocked my confidencd. The West Bromwich Albion striker
:03:26. > :03:28.Saido Berahino says he's now not considering taking legal action
:03:29. > :03:31.against team`mate James Morrison, after the England under`21 player
:03:32. > :03:37.was punched during a dressing room row. In a statement released on the
:03:38. > :03:43.club's website the player s`id he was, "Only focussing on Sattrday's
:03:44. > :03:47.game at Norwich". Final testing's been taking place on
:03:48. > :03:50.the first five vehicles in ` new fleet of hi`tech trams for the
:03:51. > :03:54.Midland Metro, due to go into full service this summer. The new
:03:55. > :03:58.vehicles, which have been btilt in Spain, are costing 40 million pounds
:03:59. > :04:02.` they'll be part of the line extension into Birmingham Chty
:04:03. > :04:05.centre. Here's our transport correspondent, Peter Plisner.
:04:06. > :04:09.Nice control on the gradient. Remember we've got a bit of an
:04:10. > :04:13.incline here. Driver training on board one of the new trams. They're
:04:14. > :04:16.very different from the existing vehicles and this morning they were
:04:17. > :04:21.turning heads at the station. They look more comfortable, more than the
:04:22. > :04:27.old ones. They look like thd Virgin Trains. Very nice, very moddrn.
:04:28. > :04:30.These new trams do seem to get a much smoother ride than the old
:04:31. > :04:33.ones. They are also much more spacious, around a third bigger
:04:34. > :04:37.able to take around 50 more passengers. Which hopefully means in
:04:38. > :04:42.the future, less overcrowding on the Midland Metro. In all, 20 trams are
:04:43. > :04:46.being built in in Spain. Already five have been delivered. E`ch one
:04:47. > :04:55.of these vehicles is costing ?2 million pounds. It is a real wow
:04:56. > :04:58.factor, I think. They look special, they look much more comfort`ble than
:04:59. > :05:01.the previous trams. They ard state of the art. They are 21st`cdntury
:05:02. > :05:05.trams. And appearently they're also getting wows from the drivers. They
:05:06. > :05:08.handle well around corners when we have been working around thd depot.
:05:09. > :05:12.They are very nice smooth trams That is a bit like a car, isn't it?
:05:13. > :05:17.There are very nice. I think it is the BMW of the car world. The Metro
:05:18. > :05:20.depot in the Black Country hs being expanded to house the new fleet and
:05:21. > :05:22.it's there that they're being thoroughly tested. The tram
:05:23. > :05:28.manufacturer have a team of engineers here on site and they have
:05:29. > :05:31.been commissioning tests. N`tional Express, the operator of thd trams,
:05:32. > :05:37.are also carrying out systel integration tests. The first of the
:05:38. > :05:40.new trams enters service thhs summer but passengers can get closd up look
:05:41. > :05:48.around one of them at Snow Hill station in Birmingham this Saturday.
:05:49. > :05:51.A father and son team from Shropshire are hoping their model
:05:52. > :05:55.Red Arrows planes will win them a world title this summer. Stdve
:05:56. > :05:57.Bishop and his son Matthew, from Telford, have spent more th`n
:05:58. > :06:02.?20,000 building the two quarter`scale aircraft. Thex'll be
:06:03. > :06:07.flying them at the World Formation Cup in Germany hoping to improve on
:06:08. > :06:10.last year's second place. Flying one aircraft is hard enough
:06:11. > :06:15.but flying two, it's probably one of the most hardest things you can do.
:06:16. > :06:20.Cos you're not in the model and you can't see the third dimension. So
:06:21. > :06:23.you have to have a lot of trust between me and my son when we fly
:06:24. > :06:27.together. That's all from the late te`m. We'll
:06:28. > :06:28.be back at breakfast from shx tomorrow morning. The weathdr's next
:06:29. > :06:38.with Rebecca. Bye for now. with
:06:39. > :06:46.Pollution levels were continued to tomorrow. Tomorrow it does not look
:06:47. > :06:50.like a great day. We have some showers in the afternoon and not
:06:51. > :06:58.much brightness either. Tonhght is largely dry. There will still be
:06:59. > :07:06.some showers, sometimes heavy. We could have some mist and fog
:07:07. > :07:13.forming. It is really mild with temperatures at ten or 11 Cdlsius.
:07:14. > :07:17.Tomorrow will start misty. Not much brightness through the day `nd then
:07:18. > :07:31.some showers from the South in the afternoon. Some could be he`vy and
:07:32. > :07:32.thundery. Here is the outlook for the next
:07:33. > :07:36.be dry. The air pollution has been hitting the headlines today. For
:07:37. > :07:43.more information on that, here is my colleague.
:07:44. > :07:49.Good evening. Very hazy skies in London today and many other towns
:07:50. > :07:53.and cities across the UK. On Thursday there is the chance of some
:07:54. > :07:56.pretty high pollution in the south-east and East Anglia but by
:07:57. > :08:03.the time we get towards the end of the week, we will see clearer
:08:04. > :08:06.Atlantique air coming in and we should get rid of the Saharan dust
:08:07. > :08:11.which has been making services grubby in the last few days. You can
:08:12. > :08:20.see the pattern across the Atlantic. We also have a weather
:08:21. > :08:28.front. The beginning of that change is affecting many western areas of
:08:29. > :08:34.the UK. This particular cloud across the North Sea, you can see there is
:08:35. > :08:35.a general drift here towards Scotland and the North Sea