:00:00. > :00:00.rain. rain.
:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Building
:00:07. > :00:09.success ` recovery in the construction industry at its highest
:00:10. > :00:19.for 20 years, but there's still a skills shortage. It is a constant
:00:20. > :00:25.challenge for us to get good quality people into the industry, both at
:00:26. > :00:29.professional levels and in trades. There are warnings we are on the
:00:30. > :00:33.building half of the houses in the Midlands that we need.
:00:34. > :00:37.Also tonight: We've been under Birmingham City Centre to find out
:00:38. > :00:39.why two major road tunnels will be closed again this summer. These are
:00:40. > :00:43.the huge extractor fans that bring polluted air out. They are being
:00:44. > :00:46.replaced by new jet fan system this summer.
:00:47. > :00:49.The wait goes on. We visit the Shropshire village struggling with
:00:50. > :00:52.one of the slowest connections to the web in the country. When you are
:00:53. > :00:55.looking at something interesting and stops on you, you need to sit and
:00:56. > :00:58.twiddle your thumbs, it is not very pleasant.
:00:59. > :01:06.Blues on the brink. Birmingham City face relegation after 18 home games
:01:07. > :01:12.without a win. Absolutely terrible. Rubbish. Going down there for years,
:01:13. > :01:15.hopeless. And blue skies, fields of gold, the
:01:16. > :01:18.ideal combination for a brilliant Bank Holiday Weekend. But how likely
:01:19. > :01:20.is that when there are already Met office warnings for heavy rain to
:01:21. > :01:32.come? Find out later. Good evening. Construction firms
:01:33. > :01:34.across the West Midlands fear a lack of skilled workers could hamper the
:01:35. > :01:39.revival in the house`building market. Companies are reporting the
:01:40. > :01:43.fastest growth in building work for 20 years. But the feel`good factor
:01:44. > :01:46.comes with concern about a skills shortage. More than 60,000
:01:47. > :01:51.construction jobs are expected to need filling in the next 12 months.
:01:52. > :01:55.Giles Latcham reports Rising up ` another site well on the way to
:01:56. > :02:06.completion, and evidence, says a new survey, of growth in construction
:02:07. > :02:10.over the first quarter of the year. The Royal Institution of Chartered
:02:11. > :02:13.Surveyors says it is the building of private housing like this which is
:02:14. > :02:19.driving a recovery right across the construction sector. This
:02:20. > :02:24.development, eight out of ten homes yet to be completed, have already
:02:25. > :02:28.been sold off plan. The boss says turnover is almost
:02:29. > :02:34.back to what it was before the crash six years ago, a corner well and
:02:35. > :02:39.truly turned. I think the corner came about 12 months ago, and it
:02:40. > :02:43.must be delightful and pleasurable if there has been steady growth.
:02:44. > :02:49.Last year we bought a company down in Shrewsbury, that again is a
:02:50. > :02:54.company which has been dormant and sleeping. That will be more
:02:55. > :02:58.employment for local people. So bring out the bunting? Well, not
:02:59. > :03:01.just yet. There is a problem, says this property consultant, a shortage
:03:02. > :03:07.of skills, from bricklayers to quantity surveyors. Good people
:03:08. > :03:13.coming into the industry, to the universities, that has shrunk by
:03:14. > :03:16.probably 20%, which means it is a constant challenge for us to get
:03:17. > :03:19.good quality people into the industry, both at professional
:03:20. > :03:22.levels and in trades. They're taking up that challenge at this Birmingham
:03:23. > :03:26.college where they train 1,500 students a year in construction
:03:27. > :03:33.skills. And for Hannah it's all paid off. Last week I had an interview
:03:34. > :03:40.with a big company and I got a job with them today. I am over the moon.
:03:41. > :03:43.We have already seen lots of new building programmes, lots of housing
:03:44. > :03:49.projects going on, so there is already jobs for people now. There
:03:50. > :03:53.is certainly going to be a very big upturn and an awful lot of jobs
:03:54. > :03:56.around. The people coming up now will definitely be getting jobs.
:03:57. > :03:59.Everyone on this site's got more work to go to. With over two million
:04:00. > :04:02.unemployed this is an industry which can't get the staff.
:04:03. > :04:05.So where does this increase in construction leave the housing
:04:06. > :04:06.market? The National Housing Federation represents housing
:04:07. > :04:12.associations and campaigns for affordable housing. A little earlier
:04:13. > :04:20.I spoke to Jenny Allen and asked for her reaction to the recovery. Yes,
:04:21. > :04:24.it is great news that we're seeing more homes getting built and the
:04:25. > :04:28.construction industry recovering. We need to make sure we are building a
:04:29. > :04:33.whole range of homes, including for those on low to middle`income 's.
:04:34. > :04:38.What is the state of the housing market? Until recently we have not
:04:39. > :04:42.been building the homes that we need, which means we are facing
:04:43. > :04:46.higher house prices, we have been facing challenges to get onto the
:04:47. > :04:54.housing ladder, to find a home they can afford to live in. Can people
:04:55. > :04:59.for their own properties now? No, it is still incredibly difficult. Last
:05:00. > :05:04.year, we only built half of the homes that we need to build to keep
:05:05. > :05:09.ace with demand. Although we may be seeing encouraging signs, it is by
:05:10. > :05:11.no means sure that we are there yet. Plenty more to come tonight
:05:12. > :05:14.including: A testimonial match with added meaning. Ex`footballer Jody
:05:15. > :05:20.Craddock raising funds for his son's cancer unit.
:05:21. > :05:24.Plans are being finalised to once again close two road tunnels in the
:05:25. > :05:29.centre of Birmingham City Centre, which carry 85,000 vehicles a day.
:05:30. > :05:33.The A38 St Chad's and Queensway tunnels are 40 years old and need to
:05:34. > :05:37.be brought up to modern European standards. They'll stay shut for six
:05:38. > :05:40.weeks. Here's our transport correspondent Peter Plisner In the
:05:41. > :05:42.middle busy road junction, this virually unseen building contains
:05:43. > :05:49.that reason that the tunnels are being shut yet again.
:05:50. > :05:52.We descended deep under the streets of Birmingham into a secret cavern
:05:53. > :05:58.that contains what contractors say is the beating heart of the city
:05:59. > :06:04.famous tunnels. But the equipment here dates back to when the tunnels
:06:05. > :06:11.open and badly needs replacing. We are just above the main tunnel, you
:06:12. > :06:13.can probably hear the traffic in the distance, these are the huge
:06:14. > :06:20.extractor fans that bring polluted air out. They are being replaced
:06:21. > :06:24.with a jet fan system this summer. This system, it is 40 years old, it
:06:25. > :06:27.will be replaced as well during the summer shutdown. Close by, another
:06:28. > :06:31.secret plant room houses yet more outdated equipment. According to the
:06:32. > :06:39.man in charge it's vital the tunnels are brought up to a modern standard.
:06:40. > :06:43.This is phase two of a two year project. We did the heavy
:06:44. > :06:45.engineering work last year, but this year we will be putting more of the
:06:46. > :06:50.electric or mechanical equipment into it, ventilation equipment and
:06:51. > :06:53.control and communication equipment. Last year although there was some
:06:54. > :06:56.congestion it wasn't as bad as many had originally predicted. But
:06:57. > :07:03.lessons were still learned and officials say that should mean fewer
:07:04. > :07:07.delays. We were expecting that they were probably going to do exactly
:07:08. > :07:12.what they did last year. Nobody has been complacent about the fact that
:07:13. > :07:16.it didn't go well last year. We want the public to do what they did last
:07:17. > :07:18.year and look at alternative forms of transport and alternative ways to
:07:19. > :07:22.come into the city. But while commuters coped, businesses close
:07:23. > :07:28.saw a big loss of trade and they're already worried about what might
:07:29. > :07:34.happen this year. It is an absolute dread, really. Last summer we were
:07:35. > :07:39.75% down in that period. It has never picked up again after that.
:07:40. > :07:44.Overall we were down about ten or 15% in sales, not just myself but
:07:45. > :07:51.the other retailers I have spoken to have had a similar loss. They only
:07:52. > :07:54.took 30, 40% there as well. Those affected are now calling on the city
:07:55. > :07:58.council to reduce business rates while the tunnels are close without
:07:59. > :08:01.it many say they might struggle to stay afloat.
:08:02. > :08:04.And Peter is in the city centre now for us, overlooking one of the
:08:05. > :08:09.tunnels. Peter, it did appear to be relatively stress free for commuters
:08:10. > :08:15.last summer. What's your hunch? Is it going to be as stress`free? It
:08:16. > :08:19.probably will be, certainly better than things are in the city centre
:08:20. > :08:23.this evening. This is the summer holiday, so there will be reduced
:08:24. > :08:28.traffic, but the key again as public transport. There is going to be more
:08:29. > :08:31.park`and`ride sites to reduce parking in Birmingham International
:08:32. > :08:36.station. They are going to extend the car park in south Birmingham to
:08:37. > :08:42.give access to the cross city line. Public transport is the key. An
:08:43. > :08:46.extra 200,000 journeys were made by public transport during this six
:08:47. > :08:49.week course. Every car off the road is one less car to worry about in
:08:50. > :08:54.terms of congestion around the tunnels. And once the six weeks are
:08:55. > :09:01.up is that the end of it or can we expect more disruption? No, that's
:09:02. > :09:04.it, the job is done as far as Birmingham City Council are
:09:05. > :09:07.concerned. There will be a need for routine maintenance but there will
:09:08. > :09:12.be two weeks of closures before the six`week closure. There could be
:09:13. > :09:19.four weeks of overnight closures as well. There is a special dedicated
:09:20. > :09:25.website that has all the details. Thank you.
:09:26. > :09:28.Prime Minister David Cameron has paid tribute to the five servicemen
:09:29. > :09:31.who died in a helicopter crash in Afganistan at the weekend. Amongst
:09:32. > :09:33.those killed was 26`year`old Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas from Kington
:09:34. > :09:36.in Herefordshire, and Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan, who was
:09:37. > :09:40.29 and from Birmingham. The Ministry of Defence has said the crash near
:09:41. > :09:46.Kandahar air base appears to have been an accident. These tragic
:09:47. > :09:51.deaths remind us of the continued commitment and sacrifice of our
:09:52. > :09:54.Armed Forces. And I know that our deepest sympathies are with their
:09:55. > :09:56.families at this very, very difficult time.
:09:57. > :10:00.A former Premier League footballer whose young son is being treated for
:10:01. > :10:02.leukaemia is donating part of the proceeds from his testimonial game
:10:03. > :10:05.next week to Birmingham Children's Hospital. Jody Craddock's son Toby
:10:06. > :10:09.was diagnosed two years ago. He's being looked after by staff in the
:10:10. > :10:13.hospital's cancer unit, where it's hoped a ?4 million appeal will
:10:14. > :10:16.transform the 30`year`old centre. Ian Winter reports Two years ago,
:10:17. > :10:22.Jody and Shelley Craddock heard the news that every parent dreads.
:10:23. > :10:26.But now they could not be happier if they were walking out to play at
:10:27. > :10:30.Wembley. Toby Craddock loves nothing better than a kickabout in the
:10:31. > :10:36.garden with his dad. But it was not always like this. Two years ago,
:10:37. > :10:40.doctors told his appearance to be `` that Toby was suffering from
:10:41. > :10:45.leukaemia. It was every parent's worst nightmare. When you learn
:10:46. > :10:52.about it and you realise the success rate for this type of cancer is
:10:53. > :10:56.extremely high. Today I phoned the proof, four years old and full of
:10:57. > :11:02.beans. After two years of chemotherapy on steroids, Toby is
:11:03. > :11:09.testimony to the skill of staff on the cancer unit at Birmingham
:11:10. > :11:12.Children's Hospital. It has been amazing. Without them we would not
:11:13. > :11:16.have got through it. There have been some really dark days, it is a long
:11:17. > :11:22.road, it is really tough. The staff pick you back up and keep you going
:11:23. > :11:28.again. Toby's dad happens to be the Will captain. Jody Craddock was a
:11:29. > :11:33.firm favourite, and now he is a very accomplished artist. He was so
:11:34. > :11:36.grateful to the staff at Birmingham Children's Hospital that he is
:11:37. > :11:41.donating a substantial sum from his testimonial match on Monday towards
:11:42. > :11:49.a ?4 million appeal for a new cancer unit. I lost my first child to cut
:11:50. > :11:56.death. It does emphasise how important families. We have had
:11:57. > :11:59.visits from many football players across the region, and it all helps
:12:00. > :12:03.to get the message out there that we need to fund raise. We are aiming
:12:04. > :12:09.for a really world`class children's centre. Toby faces another 12 months
:12:10. > :12:13.of treatment but he is making great progress. A healthy crowd will be
:12:14. > :12:20.helping to fight the disease that affects one in 500 children.
:12:21. > :12:26.All the best to Toby and the Craddock family. High`speed
:12:27. > :12:29.internet, or the lack of it, is a frustrating problem for rural
:12:30. > :12:32.communities and businesses. One street in a Shropshire village has
:12:33. > :12:35.been named as one of the worst five places in the UK for broadband
:12:36. > :12:38.speeds, although there is an assurance that 93% of Shropshire
:12:39. > :12:41.will have high speed broadband within two years. Joanne Writtle is
:12:42. > :12:46.here with more. Joanne, you've met some very frustrated people today. I
:12:47. > :12:49.really have. Today I visited Maple Crescent in Alveley. The average
:12:50. > :12:52.internet speed across the UK is 17.8 megabits per second according to
:12:53. > :12:55.Ofcom. But a survey from price comparison website Uswitch claims
:12:56. > :13:02.speeds in Maple Crescent are as low as 0.91 megabits per second. Just
:13:03. > :13:05.around the corner is the local village school and teachers and
:13:06. > :13:13.pupils are unimpressed by the speeds they're seeing. Lessons are slower
:13:14. > :13:19.than they should be, and children's progress must be slower because we
:13:20. > :13:24.are not able to access things that we should be able to at the speed we
:13:25. > :13:29.should be able to. It is really slow at both school and at home, and it
:13:30. > :13:34.takes ages to load when we are playing games or watching something.
:13:35. > :13:39.I would like it if it was speeded up because we could get on with our
:13:40. > :13:42.lessons. It disturbs the lesson and gets really annoying.
:13:43. > :13:45.So what are Shropshire Council doing about the broadband speeds? The
:13:46. > :13:47.council's working in partnership with BT on a programme called
:13:48. > :13:50.Connecting Shropshire, with around ?16 million of public money being
:13:51. > :14:00.invested to improve the broadband network across Shropshire. `` ?24
:14:01. > :14:03.million. It's been going on for a year so far and progress is clearly
:14:04. > :14:07.being made. In addition the government is offering Shropshire a
:14:08. > :14:11.further ?11 million but they have to match fund that sum, a challenge in
:14:12. > :14:15.the face of ?80 million of cuts or savings. We need to look at any
:14:16. > :14:20.opportunities where we can actually bring in pound for pound match
:14:21. > :14:22.funding. We are looking for opportunities, whether through
:14:23. > :14:25.European funding streams or the Local Enterprise Partnership. But at
:14:26. > :14:28.least some positive news tonight. Remember those children in Alveley
:14:29. > :14:31.and the residents of Maple Crescent? The village will start to get faster
:14:32. > :14:35.fibre broadband by the Spring of next year, all part of the
:14:36. > :14:39.Connecting Shropshire programme. Some good news, thanks very much.
:14:40. > :14:41.This is our top story tonight: Building success. Recovery in
:14:42. > :14:46.construction industry at its highest for 20 years, but there's still a
:14:47. > :14:48.skills shortage. Shefali will be along shortly with
:14:49. > :14:51.your weather forecast. Also in tonight's programme:
:14:52. > :14:56.Celebrating 40 years of illustration, art and cartoons. But
:14:57. > :15:08.why is Geoff regretting not spending ?150?
:15:09. > :15:14.And join me at the allotment where they have dug up a World War I
:15:15. > :15:17.medal. Here about the memorial garden they are building to pay
:15:18. > :15:20.tribute to the soldier it was awarded two.
:15:21. > :15:22.The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips has opened a
:15:23. > :15:26.state`of`the`art horse therapy centre in Warwickshire. The unit at
:15:27. > :15:35.Morton Morrell offers a water treadmill for injured animals. Joan
:15:36. > :15:38.Cummins has the story. It is not an equine spa treatment,
:15:39. > :15:44.but the latest technology to help rehabilitate horses. You really
:15:45. > :15:48.cannot get horses to do things they don't like doing, you can very much
:15:49. > :15:58.tell from the body language that she is absolutely adoring it. So you can
:15:59. > :16:04.lead a horse to water? Yes. The technology was created by an
:16:05. > :16:13.Icelandic fish processor. We had to do something, step out of the box. I
:16:14. > :16:18.remain profession `` our main profession is food processing, so we
:16:19. > :16:23.had to do something new. Warwickshire College prides itself
:16:24. > :16:28.on its equine training facilities. They believe this therapy centre
:16:29. > :16:34.will make students work ready. This whole facility is about
:16:35. > :16:37.complementing the physio world, it takes a lot of people to keep horses
:16:38. > :16:42.sound and competing and everything else. It is for students, teaching
:16:43. > :16:50.and learning. Zara Phillips was there today and was happy to perform
:16:51. > :16:53.the official opening. We treat our horses better than we treat
:16:54. > :16:58.ourselves. The best possible treatment we can give them and to
:16:59. > :17:05.prolong their career and keep them injury free, no one wants to see the
:17:06. > :17:11.end of horses. These machines help prevent it as well as rehabilitate,
:17:12. > :17:15.so a fantastic centre. The British Royal Family are not the only ones
:17:16. > :17:22.who are interested in this kit. The crime of Brunei has ordered two of
:17:23. > :17:26.the water treadmills. `` the Crown Prince of Brunei.
:17:27. > :17:29.Birmingham City stand on the brink of relegation to the third tier of
:17:30. > :17:33.English football after losing their final home game of the season. The
:17:34. > :17:36.Blues were last relegated to that level 20 years ago. A catastrophic
:17:37. > :17:40.run of 18 home games without a win means they remain in the bottom
:17:41. > :17:43.three of the Championship. Their total of 14 home points is the
:17:44. > :17:47.lowest in England's top four divisions. It leaves them needing at
:17:48. > :17:52.least a point in their final game against Bolton on Saturday. And even
:17:53. > :18:02.that may not be enough. Here's Nick Clitheroe. Please add up, I'm
:18:03. > :18:09.begging you. Please release us and let us go. You have bought in a
:18:10. > :18:12.fairly good and successful club, and run it into the ground.
:18:13. > :18:16.Fearful for the club's very future, they'd turned out in force last
:18:17. > :18:19.night hoping to see an elusive home win. But the biggest St Andrews
:18:20. > :18:22.crowd since Christmas were quickly deflated as Wigan, who are chasing
:18:23. > :18:25.promotion, took the lead through Callum McManaman inside three
:18:26. > :18:28.minutes. This was a game of very few chances although Birmingham launched
:18:29. > :18:32.a late surge which saw glimpses of an equaliser. The result means Blues
:18:33. > :18:35.could win at Bolton and still go down although a point might be
:18:36. > :18:42.enough with Doncaster visiting the champions Leicester on the final
:18:43. > :18:48.day. We have got to keep fighting, keep fighting for these unbelievable
:18:49. > :18:51.fans who took it to another level tonight, the numbers and support, I
:18:52. > :18:55.didn't think they could do it any better. They never cease to amaze
:18:56. > :18:59.us. It's 20 years since Birmingham were last relegated to the third
:19:00. > :19:03.tier. They won on the last day that time but still went down as West
:19:04. > :19:08.Bromwich Albion stayed up instead. You have to live in hope. I have
:19:09. > :19:12.watched them for six to five years. And they won't lack for support on
:19:13. > :19:15.Saturday. The club have already sold out their allocation of more than
:19:16. > :19:20.3,000 tickets for Bolton. A memorial garden for a World War
:19:21. > :19:23.One soldier is to be opened at a Birmingham allotment this weekend. A
:19:24. > :19:25.medal given posthumously to Private William Richards of the Kings
:19:26. > :19:30.Shropshire Light Infantry was found there, buried in the soil. Our
:19:31. > :19:39.reporter Bob Hockenhull is in Great Barr now. What more is known about
:19:40. > :19:46.the story of Private Richards? We know that he was killed in Ypres in
:19:47. > :19:50.1917 in action. But we have not been able to find any living relatives,
:19:51. > :19:57.despite a really exhaustive search both here in the Midlands and also
:19:58. > :20:06.in South Wales. It was a chance find uncut toggle
:20:07. > :20:12.plot 23 that unearthed a link to Private William Richards. How it got
:20:13. > :20:19.here is a mystery, but a memorial garden to a soldier will ensure his
:20:20. > :20:23.name lives on. The discovery of the medal, it seemed a natural
:20:24. > :20:30.conclusion that we should honour Private Richards. Private Richards
:20:31. > :20:35.could be one of the faces in this photograph, taken in 1915. Like
:20:36. > :20:39.hundreds of thousands of men, he was recruited only to be killed in
:20:40. > :20:44.action on the continent. Investigations by the allotment's
:20:45. > :20:49.chairman, a former detective, have revealed the soldier was originally
:20:50. > :20:55.from south Wales. I am desperate to find out if there are any living
:20:56. > :20:58.relatives. I consider that Private Richards is a bit of a lost soul the
:20:59. > :21:06.moment and it would be nice to repatriate the medal. The plan is to
:21:07. > :21:09.establish some sort of lasting monument in this garden, a fitting
:21:10. > :21:16.tribute to the young man who died violently and tragically 97 years
:21:17. > :21:22.ago. Private Richards was killed in the third Battle of Ypres in 1917.
:21:23. > :21:29.He was 26. One theory is that his family came from south Wales to work
:21:30. > :21:34.in a nearby colliery, and then lost his medal. Whatever happened, it's
:21:35. > :21:40.unearthing serves as a permanent reminder of the sacrifice Private
:21:41. > :21:42.Richards made. The Private William Richards
:21:43. > :21:47.memorial garden will formally be opened here on Saturday. It is being
:21:48. > :21:53.seen as a great green always says next to the busy M6. A place where
:21:54. > :21:58.people can come and reflect and enjoy the greenery around them.
:21:59. > :22:01.Thank you. If you own UB40's first album then
:22:02. > :22:04.you've probably seen work by the illustrator, artist and cartoonist
:22:05. > :22:07.Geoff Tristram. Over the last 40 years he's worked on commercial
:22:08. > :22:10.projects with little need to exhibit his work. Now though, he's put
:22:11. > :22:14.together a solo show to celebrate his career as he turns 60. Here's
:22:15. > :22:18.our Arts Reporter Satnam Rana. For 40 years Geoff Tristram has been
:22:19. > :22:22.creating artwork. He works in isolation from inside his converted
:22:23. > :22:26.garage in Stourbridge. But now he's come out to show off his work. The
:22:27. > :22:34.exhibtion, 40 Years Watching Paint Dry, tells his story. I have got to
:22:35. > :22:38.work here that has never been seen together before, and it will never
:22:39. > :22:43.be seen together again, so it is very emotional for me. Some of these
:22:44. > :22:47.things, it seems like yesterday, a portrait of my grandad, I was 11,
:22:48. > :22:50.and it seems like yesterday. And so, at Himley Hall in Dudley, family
:22:51. > :22:53.portaits, illustrations for jigsaws and cat conundrums adorn the walls.
:22:54. > :23:01.Amongst them memories and moments in time are recalled. You have got a
:23:02. > :23:10.lovely story about UB40 and the first two album covers. The first
:23:11. > :23:16.one, Signing Off, it was designed in 1980 and cost them ?110, and it's
:23:17. > :23:21.all done so many copies I was entitled to a gold platinum disc in
:23:22. > :23:31.a frame. I have always wanted one. I said, yes please. As they said,
:23:32. > :23:34.well, it is ?150 plus VAT. It was a lot of money at the time. Geoff
:23:35. > :23:36.estimates he's produced 5,000 paintings and 100,000`plus
:23:37. > :23:41.caricatures over the last four decades. With that comes many
:23:42. > :23:43.stories! We used to get up on Saturdays to pretend to work so we
:23:44. > :23:48.could watch Wolverhampton Wanderers from the top floor of the art
:23:49. > :23:52.college, and this was a painting of Steve to celebrate his 306 and final
:23:53. > :23:56.goal for them before he retired. This exhibition is as much about
:23:57. > :23:59.Geoff as well as his artwork. Some beautiful sunshine around
:24:00. > :24:07.today. How's May shaping up, Shefali?
:24:08. > :24:10.After such a beautiful day, someone has flicked the switch and
:24:11. > :24:14.everything is turning for the better as soon as May comes around. The
:24:15. > :24:20.bank holiday weekend is still looking good, dry, largely sunny and
:24:21. > :24:25.warm as well. But it is going to dip in temperatures for Friday. Things
:24:26. > :24:30.will turn a little bit cooler for those temperatures start to rise.
:24:31. > :24:36.Tomorrow will pose some problems. We have got a yellow alert is a heavy
:24:37. > :24:40.thundery downpours from the south`west which could lead to
:24:41. > :24:44.localised flooding. Most of that activity is centred on the western
:24:45. > :24:48.half of the region. This front to the south will be creating all of
:24:49. > :24:53.this rain. That is going to cradle those heavy downpours, share is
:24:54. > :24:58.pushing in from the south west. After such a lovely day, we're going
:24:59. > :25:28.to see things gradually going downhill through this
:25:29. > :25:30.muggy and warm. We start off that way tomorrow, but there is a
:25:31. > :25:36.constant feed of showers from the south west. They are starting to pep
:25:37. > :25:38.up into some thunder in the middle part of the day, and we could see
:25:39. > :25:42.fairly heavy ones cropping up anywhere. Most of that activity is
:25:43. > :25:48.greatly centred across the western half of the region and the south is
:25:49. > :25:57.getting quite clobbering from them. The temperatures should rise to
:25:58. > :26:01.about 15 Celsius. These showers rumbling on into the evening
:26:02. > :26:05.tomorrow, then gradually showing signs of fading through the early
:26:06. > :26:07.hours of Friday morning, by which stage temperatures will dip to seven