:00:00. > :00:00.has been hit by a missile in northern Gaza. That's all from
:00:00. > :00:09.Success for Oldbury's Jodie Stimpson, as she takes the first
:00:10. > :00:25.We'll be live at the Black Country club where it all started for
:00:26. > :00:28.The family of a Worcestershire helicopter pilot who was killed
:00:29. > :00:33.in the North Sea call for an independent review of the crash.
:00:34. > :00:39.I want to see proper road `` proper, regular checks, with
:00:40. > :00:45.penalties, finds. A bus company says sorry
:00:46. > :00:47.after a teenage dwarf is repeatedly told he's not allowed onboard with
:00:48. > :00:49.his special bike. A hundred years on, the new BBC
:00:50. > :00:52.radio drama from Birmingham charting And the mercury's been bubbling `
:00:53. > :00:56.temperatures were destined to hit the heights today,
:00:57. > :00:58.but did we get there? She was overlooked for the Olympics
:00:59. > :01:12.in London two years ago, but tonight Jodie Stimpson is the toast
:01:13. > :01:16.of the Black Country after becoming England's first gold medallist
:01:17. > :01:19.at the Commonwealth Games. The serious action had only been
:01:20. > :01:22.under way for four hours in Glasgow when the 25`year`old triathlete
:01:23. > :01:26.from Oldbury struck gold. And to complete a Midlands double,
:01:27. > :01:29.Vicky Holland from Newent in A moment she'd spent
:01:30. > :01:44.her life striving for. The anthem confirmed that
:01:45. > :02:03.Jodie Stimpson is the Commonwealth This is like all year, and I have
:02:04. > :02:09.got to thank so many people who got me through.
:02:10. > :02:13.Jodie's 25, and this a gold medal a long time in the making.
:02:14. > :02:15.She took up triathlon aged eight, and began competing aged nine.
:02:16. > :02:20.She became a full`time athlete but funding was hard, and a building
:02:21. > :02:27.Her main aim was to compete at London 2012.
:02:28. > :02:31.But she was controversially omitted from the team, with the selectors
:02:32. > :02:39.So today, she was determined to make it count.
:02:40. > :02:42.Jodie was up with the pace through the swim, she
:02:43. > :02:57.And after setting the tempo for the run, she kicked for home.
:02:58. > :02:59.She dashed for glory, beating Canada's Kirsten Sweetland
:03:00. > :03:01.into second with Vicky Holland from Newent in Gloucestershire
:03:02. > :03:18.There are so many of my family here, which is awesome.
:03:19. > :03:21.It's been an emotional day ` but one that Jodie Stimpson will
:03:22. > :03:25.Well, Dan is in the Black Country for us where the next generation
:03:26. > :03:28.of Jodies are in training ` I should imagine there's great
:03:29. > :03:41.Wellcome to Oldbury, this is the club night for the swimming and
:03:42. > :03:49.triathlon club junior section. Everyone I have spoken to, because
:03:50. > :03:55.one of the owner has won gold. Jodie's family house is just through
:03:56. > :04:01.the trees. Mark, you are the triathlon coach, how proud you of
:04:02. > :04:07.her? It is great. Inspirational to the children and everyone in the
:04:08. > :04:14.club. Encourages everyone when someone does so well. How quickly
:04:15. > :04:19.did you realise she was a talent? The first time I saw her. But raw
:04:20. > :04:22.talent takes you so far, it is determination and hard work that has
:04:23. > :04:30.got her where she is. What does it into your club? It is
:04:31. > :04:35.nice to say to the young children, some `` something to look up to.
:04:36. > :04:39.Especially because of the younger club children being into swimming,
:04:40. > :04:46.and that was Jodie's weaker side when she was young. And she is
:04:47. > :04:52.coming back and taking part in a race. A week on Sunday, there is a
:04:53. > :04:59.celebration of the Commonwealth Games, and she is going to come and
:05:00. > :05:05.take part. There is no cycling, and the distances are not too big. Half
:05:06. > :05:15.the distance of what she did today, and a short distance, a 400 swim and
:05:16. > :05:19.2.5 kilometre run. How many people get the chance to compete against
:05:20. > :05:22.their heroes? That is in two weeks' time.
:05:23. > :05:25.And we'll return to Dan later in the programme to find out how other
:05:26. > :05:28.competitors from the region have been faring on Day One in Glasgow.
:05:29. > :05:31.Good to have you with us here on Midlands Today.
:05:32. > :05:32.Plenty more to come tonight, including:
:05:33. > :05:34.Our beautiful countryside ` how our meadows are being
:05:35. > :05:47.Major stories stay open late in Birmingham in preparation for Eid.
:05:48. > :05:49.The family of a pilot from Worcestershire,
:05:50. > :05:51.whose helicopter crashed into the North Sea five years ago,
:05:52. > :05:54.have called for an independent review into the accident.
:05:55. > :05:58.24`year`old Richard Menzies from Droitwich was one of 16 men who
:05:59. > :06:01.died when the Super Puma helicopter they were flying in crashed
:06:02. > :06:14.In November 2011, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that the
:06:15. > :06:21.aircraft suffered a "catastrophic failure" of its main rotor gearbox.
:06:22. > :06:23.16 months later the Crown Office said the helicopter
:06:24. > :06:25.operators wouldn't be prosecuted, because failings couldn't be proved
:06:26. > :06:28.Last March, a fatal accident inquiry found the tragedy might
:06:29. > :06:31.have been avoided if proper maintenance had been carried out.
:06:32. > :06:33.Today the Worcestershire Coroner agreed with those findings.
:06:34. > :06:42.It should have been a routine journey, but instead the Super Puma
:06:43. > :06:48.helicopter plunged into the sea, leaving 16 families devastated.
:06:49. > :06:52.Richard Menzies, who was co`piloting the aircraft, died instantly.
:06:53. > :06:57.After today?s inquest, his father Andrew says the family?s
:06:58. > :07:11.The coroner's powers are fairly limited what he can do given that
:07:12. > :07:30.Richard's death was in Scotland. But Richard's father says he is
:07:31. > :07:43.worried about the safety of the I am concerned on three levels, the
:07:44. > :07:46.complacency of the operators, the lack of transparency, and inadequate
:07:47. > :07:52.regulation. What would you like to see happen? I would like to see an
:07:53. > :08:00.independent judge look at the evidence and satisfy the families
:08:01. > :08:05.that the right decision was made. As a father, I miss him terribly. He
:08:06. > :08:12.would probably be now a captain flying helicopters, probably wanting
:08:13. > :08:19.to do their sea rescue which is what he wanted to specialise in.
:08:20. > :08:20.The helicopter's operators, Bond Offshore,
:08:21. > :08:26.have accepted they made mistakes and say lessons have been learned.
:08:27. > :08:28.Richard's father hopes tighter regulations could help stop it
:08:29. > :08:37.I say it out of a genuine concern, that Super Puma helicopters still
:08:38. > :08:40.keep dropping out of the sky. For the first time, retailers
:08:41. > :08:43.in Birmingham city centre are The Muslim holiday marks the end
:08:44. > :08:47.of Ramadan, Tonight many stores will stay open
:08:48. > :08:52.until ten o'clock, so people can break their fast
:08:53. > :08:57.and shop ahead of Eid on Monday. Live now to Amy Cole who's
:08:58. > :09:14.in Birmingham city centre ` It is just starting to pick up,
:09:15. > :09:21.at 9pm. The big consumer drive got at 9pm. The big consumer drive got
:09:22. > :09:25.under way and hour and a half ago, and some local businesses are
:09:26. > :09:30.concerned that the city centre is now cashing in.
:09:31. > :09:34.The city centre was already pretty packed this afternoon, but the
:09:35. > :09:40.number of shoppers is expected to swell over the next few hours.
:09:41. > :09:43.For the first time major stores are extending their opening hours so
:09:44. > :09:46.that people can buy their goods in time for Eid celebrations on Monday.
:09:47. > :09:49.Some retailers say they're already seeing an upsurge in trade.
:09:50. > :09:58.We have seen our menswear business grow by almost 50% in the days and
:09:59. > :10:00.weeks coming up to Eid. So we know there is a huge appetite for our
:10:01. > :10:04.products and services at this special time.
:10:05. > :10:05.Also noticing the demand is Selfridges,
:10:06. > :10:18.It is tonight they are expecting the most amount of shoppers here. There
:10:19. > :10:23.will be lots of interest in the store, such as Arabic calligraphers.
:10:24. > :10:26.And for this evening only, the store has created a shisha
:10:27. > :10:41.The children can stay out `` up late. I come from Dubai, so there
:10:42. > :10:42.shops opening late for Eid is not so unusual. I'm not sure why it has not
:10:43. > :10:48.done before. Atia Hussain owns a clothes shop
:10:49. > :10:51.in Ladypool Road. For years she's stayed open late
:10:52. > :10:54.in the run up to Eid, but is now worried about competition
:10:55. > :11:05.from the city centre. People used to come to Asian shops
:11:06. > :11:11.and think because it is Eid we can go to Asian areas, but nowadays they
:11:12. > :11:12.are saying because machete `` the city centres are open they are going
:11:13. > :11:15.there. For retailers, tonight is
:11:16. > :11:28.a gamble they hope will pay off. I am joined now by a spokeswoman
:11:29. > :11:33.from retail Birmingham. Why has this not been done before?
:11:34. > :11:38.Many of the retailers have always had activity for Eid, we can bring
:11:39. > :11:44.all the stores together and collectively put on an event such as
:11:45. > :11:50.tonight. We hope it is one we can continue in the future.
:11:51. > :11:56.Events such as these in terms of planning, it has taken almost 20 map
:11:57. > :11:59.`` 12 months to put together. One independent store owner told us
:12:00. > :12:03.she is quite worried that shoppers will be attracted away, when
:12:04. > :12:08.traditionally they have always gone to more of the Asian areas. Our
:12:09. > :12:16.remote is trying to push the hair and beauty offer for women, so a lot
:12:17. > :12:24.of customers will stoke low for the traditional areas. `` still do. It
:12:25. > :12:30.is not to detract sales from any area, but to add to the offer that
:12:31. > :12:35.is already available. Eid is an important festival, is it
:12:36. > :12:38.on a par with Christmas? It is on par with Christmas in terms of
:12:39. > :12:42.trade. How will you be celebrating Eid on
:12:43. > :12:47.Monday? I will probably be out shopping and spending time with the
:12:48. > :12:51.family. There will be plenty to do over the
:12:52. > :12:53.next few days, and the shops really will be staying open much later as
:12:54. > :12:59.well. A teenage dwarf was asked to "
:13:00. > :13:02.prove he was disabled" when he tried 17`year`old Kain Francis has now
:13:03. > :13:06.been refused travel five times in the last two weeks because
:13:07. > :13:09.of the disability bike he uses to It's a disability aid that helps him
:13:10. > :13:27.get around. But over the last weeks, it has led
:13:28. > :13:33.to him being refused to travel. They said, we do not want you on the bus.
:13:34. > :13:38.He wouldn't let me speak, he went let me say it is my disabled aid.
:13:39. > :13:41.And he asked if it had stabilisers on it.
:13:42. > :13:45.The teenager from Kingstanding in Birmingham has dwarfism.
:13:46. > :13:53.Last night he was refused travel twice in 20 minutes. In one case,
:13:54. > :13:59.the driver astonishingly asked him to prove he was actually disabled.
:14:00. > :14:11.He was telling me how I could prove I was disabled, and I said, can you
:14:12. > :14:17.not see I am disabled? It has escalated into something much
:14:18. > :14:23.bigger, where my young nephew Kain has been I think verbally assaulted
:14:24. > :14:26.on a bus or a driver. Kain's family have already had a
:14:27. > :14:31.written apology for the first incident, but as we found out this
:14:32. > :14:40.afternoon, the problems are still continuing. This is a disabled bike.
:14:41. > :14:45.You are refusing me to get on? It is now happening almost every
:14:46. > :14:47.time I go on the bus. It is terrible. It is embarrassing as
:14:48. > :14:55.well. We took the footage to show the bus
:14:56. > :14:58.company. We are sorry for the inconvenience and the upset it has
:14:59. > :15:00.caused. We didn't realise the anomaly quick enough and didn't
:15:01. > :15:07.quite understand what was causing this issue, but now we have realised
:15:08. > :15:13.it we have acted very quickly, we have given a letter to him today
:15:14. > :15:16.which he can show to every driver. Kain and his family are hoping he
:15:17. > :15:19.will not be left waiting for a lift home again.
:15:20. > :15:22.Drug`resistant superbugs have been found in a Warwickshire river.
:15:23. > :15:24.Scientists at the University of Warwick made the discovery
:15:25. > :15:28.a mile downstream of a sewage treatment plant on the River Sowe.
:15:29. > :15:32.The study claims processing human, farm
:15:33. > :15:35.and industrial waste all together in one place makes it easier
:15:36. > :15:37.for bacteria to become resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.
:15:38. > :15:51.This river might look ordinary, but scientists have discovered it is
:15:52. > :15:59.harbouring and invisible enemy, superbugs.
:16:00. > :16:04.You could be colonised by very resistant bacteria, and those
:16:05. > :16:17.resistant bacteria and then sitting in Europe died, and then you have a
:16:18. > :16:21.risk they might cause infection. Scientists also found human gut
:16:22. > :16:27.bacteria which had developed a resistance to an antibiotic used to
:16:28. > :16:30.treat severe infections. Back at the laboratory one of the
:16:31. > :16:36.scientists analysing the results says it is an important discovery.
:16:37. > :16:44.It is a four`time super resistant strains have been found in UK
:16:45. > :16:49.rivers. `` it is the first time. Severn Trent insists drinking water
:16:50. > :16:55.is safe, but would like to see more research. We are aware that
:16:56. > :16:59.antibiotics are in our sewage treatment processes, and we are keen
:17:00. > :17:03.to work with other organisations to really understand where they come
:17:04. > :17:08.from and how we can remove them to make sure they do not have an impact
:17:09. > :17:11.in the `` on the environment. But don't you know enough at this stage
:17:12. > :17:18.to take immediate action? I don't think so. If other authorities were
:17:19. > :17:23.to advise us to do something differently, we would take our
:17:24. > :17:28.environmental responsibilities very seriously and we would make any
:17:29. > :17:31.necessary changes. Doctor Wellington says work due to
:17:32. > :17:36.be published later this year is expected to see `` show a similar
:17:37. > :17:41.story on samples found in the River Thames.
:17:42. > :17:46.Success for Jodie Stimpson from Oldbury in the Black Country,
:17:47. > :17:50.as she takes the first gold of the Commonwealth Games.
:17:51. > :17:53.An even hotter day today ` Shefali's ready with your detailed
:17:54. > :17:58.A hundred years on, the new radio drama, stretching over
:17:59. > :18:10.all four years, charting events here at home during the First World War.
:18:11. > :18:12.From today, millions of wildflowers are being
:18:13. > :18:15.planted in urban areas across Birmingham and the Black Country.
:18:16. > :18:19.Our reporter Nicola Beckford has been at one of the sites in Sedgley
:18:20. > :18:36.Conservationists spent the morning here cutting and packing Harry, to
:18:37. > :18:40.recreate new wildlife meadows. `` hay. They are building on similar
:18:41. > :18:52.work carried out last year. This is one of very few such meadows left in
:18:53. > :18:54.England. We want to expand their populations and bring them into the
:18:55. > :18:59.city where people can have contact with that wildlife.
:19:00. > :19:02.The operation is to be done in one day to make sure the seeds reached
:19:03. > :19:07.the destination will still fresh. This is one of the areas where the
:19:08. > :19:12.new Meadow will be grown. The land has been preprepared to receive the
:19:13. > :19:17.freshly cut hay. Almost 30 days `` Wales have been
:19:18. > :19:23.harvested and delivered to ten sites across the region, but these
:19:24. > :19:27.volunteers wanted to work quickly, as if the hay gets too hot, the
:19:28. > :19:29.seeds will die. The organisers feel confident
:19:30. > :19:39.however that the new Meadow will grow.
:19:40. > :19:44.We should eventually get some orchids coming up, which should look
:19:45. > :19:47.really pretty and make the area much better than the brown grass you can
:19:48. > :19:51.see here. This year's work will establish an
:19:52. > :19:53.even bigger network of meadows. Rural idyll is within an urban
:19:54. > :19:58.environment. `` idols. Back to the Commonwealth Games
:19:59. > :20:00.action now, and Gold medallist Jodie Stimpson's not the region's
:20:01. > :20:03.only competitor in action today. Let's rejoin Dan in Oldbury
:20:04. > :20:05.for news of the others. So, Dan, who have we got to
:20:06. > :20:14.look out for this evening? The kids behind take part in
:20:15. > :20:20.cycling, which is where lots of other medals have been one today.
:20:21. > :20:26.First of all Helen Scott, from down the road, she is the pilot in her
:20:27. > :20:31.event and she writes with Sophie Thornhill. They won the two hates
:20:32. > :20:42.and won the final. They are expressly proud to win gold. `` the
:20:43. > :20:47.two seats. `` the two heats. It is info `` it is fantastic that even
:20:48. > :20:57.one of our events is in. Maybe next time another of our events might be
:20:58. > :21:00.put in as well. The team sprint once over this
:21:01. > :21:07.afternoon, but they were beaten by New Zealand.
:21:08. > :21:10.`` won silver. Andy Tennant from Wolverhampton has been in the team
:21:11. > :21:15.pursuit, riding alongside Bradley Wiggins.
:21:16. > :21:21.They also won a silver. Jess varnish from Bromsgrove,
:21:22. > :21:29.discoloured at the London 2012 Olympics, was in the 500 metres time
:21:30. > :21:32.trial today. She won bronze. Who have we got to look out for this
:21:33. > :21:36.evening? The number one event to look out for
:21:37. > :21:42.is the men's 200 metres breaststroke. Adam Piti from
:21:43. > :21:48.Uttoxeter is through, also Michael Jamieson.
:21:49. > :21:52.We have already had these medallists, it is day one of the
:21:53. > :21:54.Commonwealth Games, plenty to look forward to this evening and for the
:21:55. > :21:57.rest of the Games. The story of life on the Home Front
:21:58. > :22:01.during World War I is being It's being recorded in Birmingham,
:22:02. > :22:06.and it's an ambitious drama serial which will be broadcast over four
:22:07. > :22:08.years with 600 episodes. More now
:22:09. > :22:17.from our arts reporter Satnam Rana. The Great War ` usually remembered
:22:18. > :22:20.as a soldier's conflict. Over 8.5 million men served
:22:21. > :22:25.between 1914 and 18. But now Radio 4's new ambitious
:22:26. > :22:50.drama Home Front is telling Actors play out their words, and
:22:51. > :22:57.sound effects are added in the production suite.
:22:58. > :23:03.Recorded at BBC Birmingham's radio astronomers studio, it is set in
:23:04. > :23:11.Folkestone, and will also take us to Newcastle and Devon.
:23:12. > :23:15.There were 40 million people who did not go to war, but who were
:23:16. > :23:23.dedicated to the information from the front. If we could represent a
:23:24. > :23:32.tiny proportion of those stories, that would be brilliant. I know you
:23:33. > :23:37.mean well, but it is not realistic. One of these stories is told through
:23:38. > :23:45.Isabel, a self`taught driver from a well`off family and ends up buying
:23:46. > :23:50.an ambulance. Women with funds what `` went out and bought their own
:23:51. > :23:55.ambulances and supplies. They literally got behind the wheel of a
:23:56. > :24:01.car and learned to drive. And then I get very excited about buying
:24:02. > :24:13.surgical bandages and then going across to France.
:24:14. > :24:17.The stories are fictional, but each one has a historical fact hidden
:24:18. > :24:26.within it. To find out what that is, tune in at mid`day on fourth August.
:24:27. > :24:33.Exactly 100 years to the day Great Britain declared war on Germany.
:24:34. > :24:37.You can find out more about the new show Home Front on the BBC website.
:24:38. > :24:41.Now let's find out more about this scorching weather.
:24:42. > :24:55.There were a few people today flustered by the heat, because it
:24:56. > :24:59.was hotter than yesterday by 1 degrees for most parts, finishing
:25:00. > :25:06.numbers were 28 Celsius for Birmingham.
:25:07. > :25:13.29 Celsius in neighbouring Wales, and hottest race was worth it,
:25:14. > :25:17.making it the hottest day of the year so far. `` the hottest place
:25:18. > :25:29.was Dorset. There will be a drop of around nine
:25:30. > :25:35.to 10 degrees by Sunday, but this cooler air is coming in as a result
:25:36. > :25:38.of this home from `` this front. The cooler conditions will probably
:25:39. > :25:43.persist into the middle of next week. Not to say they will not rise
:25:44. > :25:51.before that, they could well do, but we also have some fairly prolific
:25:52. > :25:57.showers breaking out. They could become widespread by the
:25:58. > :26:02.end of the weekend. If you haven't been out there to enjoy the
:26:03. > :26:04.sunshine, you could `` you should do the litmus test now because it is
:26:05. > :26:10.cooling down to something more comfortable. Then we are into clear
:26:11. > :26:18.skies for tonight. It is dry across all parts as well, we may see the
:26:19. > :26:23.odd shower breaking out, but then those will fade away very quickly.
:26:24. > :26:31.Temperatures falling to a minimum of 15 to 16 Celsius, possibly even 17,
:26:32. > :26:36.so a very sticky night. For tomorrow, slightly cooler
:26:37. > :26:42.conditions. We have more cloud drifting in from the east, due to a
:26:43. > :26:49.slight change in the wind direction, temperatures perhaps will not reach
:26:50. > :26:54.the giddy heights of today's values. That breeze is slightly lighter at
:26:55. > :26:58.around nine miles per hour. As for tomorrow night we could see the odd
:26:59. > :27:04.shower breaking out, very light ones however. Predominantly dry, with
:27:05. > :27:07.clear spells. Saturday dry until those showers are.
:27:08. > :27:12.`` arrive. A UN shelter in Gaza is hit
:27:13. > :27:16.by an Israeli missile ? 15 people And Jodie Stimpson from Oldbury
:27:17. > :27:20.in the Black Country wins the triathlon and takes the first
:27:21. > :27:22.gold of the Commonwealth Games. Well, when did we start funding
:27:23. > :28:00.projects in Gaza? How do you know people
:28:01. > :28:02.are telling the truth? Well, when did we start funding
:28:03. > :28:11.projects in Gaza? I should never have done this.
:28:12. > :28:15.I should never have agreed to this.