:00:00. > 3:59:59on settling down and turning warmer. That is all from the BBC News at
:00:00. > :00:00.Six. Hello and welcome to Midlands Today.
:00:00. > :00:00.The headlines tonight: A strain on the service,
:00:00. > :00:07.as West Midlands Ambulance reveals there were hundreds of 999 calls
:00:08. > :00:18.from just one address last xear A lot of these are genuine patients
:00:19. > :00:20.who need an ambience and thdy are tied to one.
:00:21. > :00:23.We'll be asking how so many calls on the ambulance service
:00:24. > :00:26.Police across three counties to map out
:00:27. > :00:30.where controversial stop and search take place.
:00:31. > :00:35.We are now able to track more accurately west and search powers
:00:36. > :00:41.are used so we can map thosd across to where
:00:42. > :00:43.Pilot culling of badgers to tackle TB in cattle
:00:44. > :00:46.gets the go`ahead for a second year in Gloucestershire.
:00:47. > :00:47.Why Tigers' hopes are burning bright,
:00:48. > :00:50.as they hurtle headlong tow`rds the new ice hockey season.
:00:51. > :00:54.if we're lucky, the rain will be restricted to the nights,
:00:55. > :00:58.but there's a deep area of low pressure heading our way
:00:59. > :01:12.An investigation by BBC Midlands Today has discovered
:01:13. > :01:15.that one home in Birmingham made hundreds of 999 calls
:01:16. > :01:18.to West Midlands Ambulance Service last year
:01:19. > :01:22.but the caller was taken to hospital just a handful of times.
:01:23. > :01:24.A total of 661 emergency calls were made
:01:25. > :01:28.from a single residential address in the B34 area of the city.
:01:29. > :01:37.Nicola Beckford has this exclusive report.
:01:38. > :01:44.I will put someone is in thdre for you. An elderly patient with severe
:01:45. > :01:48.breathing difficulties. Par`medics are at the scene within minttes You
:01:49. > :01:51.would expect an ambulance to arrive when you call but what if that
:01:52. > :01:56.request comes from someone who has made hundreds of calls prevhously?
:01:57. > :02:04.The Ambulance Service. Is the patient breathing? 999 calls come
:02:05. > :02:09.into this operation centre. Operators decide whether or not to
:02:10. > :02:14.dispatch an ambience crew. Ht is made on a case`by`case basis. Some
:02:15. > :02:19.people have complex needs that generally require us. The sdcond
:02:20. > :02:22.have complex need but they do not necessarily need the ambulance.
:02:23. > :02:25.Category three that chases calls. These are people `` categorx three
:02:26. > :02:41.of vexatious callers. We have discovered that one home in
:02:42. > :02:46.the B 34 area of Birmingham dialled 999 for an ambulance 661 tiles last
:02:47. > :02:50.year. Only 12 of those calls resulted in a hospital visit. The
:02:51. > :03:03.top ten frequent callers in our region made more than 2500 calls
:03:04. > :03:15.last year. One home`made more than 390 calls. One caller made 255
:03:16. > :03:20.calls. One household in the... DY eight area was taken to hospital
:03:21. > :03:30.five times. Some abuse the service and can cause
:03:31. > :03:37.problems for people who gentinely need their help. Lee Biddle has
:03:38. > :03:39.severe epilepsy and could collapse up to seven times a day. At his
:03:40. > :06:29.worst, his family. There is a big black population
:06:30. > :06:36.here. But that perception is very much at odds with the offichal
:06:37. > :06:44.statistics. In 2012 there wdre nearly 50,000 searches and 60% `` 6%
:06:45. > :07:00.arrest rate. The arrest ratd is likely to double. Section 60, for
:07:01. > :07:03.the past 18 months, has onlx been sanctioned by assistant chidf
:07:04. > :07:07.constables. If you were Afrhcan Caribbean you were more likdly to be
:07:08. > :07:12.stopped than a white person. They say now it is 2.6, but they say
:07:13. > :07:18.three times more likely to be stopped. We are moving in the right
:07:19. > :07:21.direction. This man is on book scrutiny panel and thinks the
:07:22. > :07:27.current move will make a big difference. The officer was only
:07:28. > :07:30.able to write the first ten, 15 words of a sentence, which could not
:07:31. > :07:36.give you much information. Ht would often appear there were gap. The
:07:37. > :07:42.officer in charge of stop and search in the West Midlands said it was an
:07:43. > :07:43.essential power and being used in a proportionate manner to protect the
:07:44. > :07:47.public from criminals. Earlier I the west Mercia Chief
:07:48. > :07:55.Constable. I asked him Earlier I the west Mercia Chief
:07:56. > :08:01.Constable. I asked about thd pilot scheme to map where stop and search
:08:02. > :08:07.powers we used. It is a poshtive range of measures. Used by the Home
:08:08. > :08:10.Secretary, to make it more transparent and help improvd
:08:11. > :08:16.confidence communities have in the police around how we use thd powers.
:08:17. > :08:20.We have been at the vanguard of this work and we are able to track more
:08:21. > :08:24.accurately where stop and sdarch powers are used, so we can lap them
:08:25. > :08:29.across to where offences and criminality are taking placd. That
:08:30. > :08:33.way we can be more certain we are using the powers transparently and
:08:34. > :08:35.did the right places and give the communities we are serving
:08:36. > :08:42.confidence we are using powdrs properly. These new restrictions on
:08:43. > :08:49.stop and search, is that an implied criticism of the way it has been
:08:50. > :08:52.done before. I think they are useful checks and balances about how the
:08:53. > :08:59.powers have been used, rathdr than restrictions. In some places, there
:09:00. > :09:03.are concerns about whether we use the powers in the right way. The
:09:04. > :09:07.officers I lead have to makd difficult decisions about how they
:09:08. > :09:14.use the powers and in the m`jority of occasions they get it right.
:09:15. > :09:21.Sometimes we get it wrong. Theresa May said... If I could finish. These
:09:22. > :09:27.new measures are to make sure we use them at the right time to protect
:09:28. > :09:29.the public, and also so that people who have done nothing wrong have no
:09:30. > :09:30.fear about how who have done nothing wrong have no
:09:31. > :09:38.fear about we use the powers. Welcome this approach. The reason we
:09:39. > :09:41.are in the vanguard and wanted to be a pilot force was to demonstrate we
:09:42. > :09:47.want to embrace these new mdasures. If I can come back to the qtestion,
:09:48. > :09:50.to Reza Mays said the current use of stop and search was an unacceptable
:09:51. > :09:57.affront to justice. Do you see that in your force? No, I do not. I agree
:09:58. > :10:02.the evidence she must have before her to make decisions is undquivocal
:10:03. > :10:07.and she is right to make those statements where she has sedn it. I
:10:08. > :10:11.do not see it in my force. Hf I did, it would be stamped out. We do a lot
:10:12. > :10:21.to monitor where the powers are used. We do not get negativd
:10:22. > :10:25.feedback. A man from the West Midlands has died after attdnding
:10:26. > :10:29.the cream feels dance festival in Cheshire. Paramedics were c`lled to
:10:30. > :10:37.a hotel away from the site on Sunday morning. `` cream fields. Officers
:10:38. > :10:40.are investigating whether it was drug`related. A college in
:10:41. > :10:49.Birmingham is to open a centre of excellence in India. The centre will
:10:50. > :10:53.train local people in technhcal education and health care. Ht is
:10:54. > :10:58.hoped to strengthen links bdtween the Midlands and India. Overnight
:10:59. > :11:02.closures across the M6 throtgh Staffordshire begin tonight. The
:11:03. > :11:08.next 15 days, the southbound route will be shot after 10pm between
:11:09. > :11:13.junction 13 and ten A. The work is part of a smart motorway scheme that
:11:14. > :11:20.aims to cut congestion. A p`ving stone has been unveiled to honour a
:11:21. > :11:23.Worcester soldier who was ghven the Victoria Cross in the First World
:11:24. > :11:32.War. George Wyatt saved colleagues on the front line in France while
:11:33. > :11:35.under fire. It is one of ten cities honouring soldiers awarded the
:11:36. > :11:39.Victoria Cross. It has been confirmed this afternoon a second
:11:40. > :11:42.badger cull has been given the go`ahead in Gloucestershire and
:11:43. > :11:52.Somerset. The controversial project sets a target for the number of
:11:53. > :11:55.badgers shot inside the zond. It is part of a scheme to see if the
:11:56. > :11:58.culling reduced the number of cases of bovine TB within the specified
:11:59. > :12:07.areas. What were the results of last year's culling? There were divided
:12:08. > :12:11.opinions about this. That is in Gloucestershire and Somerset. Many
:12:12. > :12:18.voices came together at the ending condemnation about how effective it
:12:19. > :12:28.was, because the aim was to Cole 70% of the badger population. In
:12:29. > :12:37.Gloucestershire, `` cull. It was not a great start but they are trying
:12:38. > :12:48.again. Natural England say there will be a six`week window coming up.
:12:49. > :12:56.No location will be known about They will have a minimum lilit of
:12:57. > :12:59.650 badgers being killed by a combination of trapping and
:13:00. > :13:05.shooting. Farmers and the government say it is necessary because of the
:13:06. > :13:10.spread of bovine TB, which `ffected 26,000 cattle, being slaughtered
:13:11. > :13:13.because of the effect of it. Protesters have been vociferous
:13:14. > :13:18.They say it is ineffective `nd inhumane.
:13:19. > :13:29.I gather Gloucestershire police are looking into allegations about Mark
:13:30. > :13:34.'s men surrounding last years. They are investigating a Marx man
:13:35. > :13:37.who allegedly crossed a golf course carrying a loaded weapon whhle
:13:38. > :13:44.stalking the badger, with claims he put public safety at risk. @nd other
:13:45. > :13:50.allegations of Marx meant using illegal night sites to track
:13:51. > :13:55.badgers. The cost of policing the operations last year amountdd to
:13:56. > :14:01.almost ?2 million. It has bden confirmed that the young mother of a
:14:02. > :14:05.schoolgirl who suffered frol cancer will face prosecution. It is for
:14:06. > :14:09.keeping her daughter off school It was hoped that talks between Kerry
:14:10. > :14:17.Capper and Birmingham City Council would avert the need.
:14:18. > :14:21.Seven`year`old Libby was di`gnosed with an aggressive tumour on her
:14:22. > :14:28.keep it. She had surgery whhch ended up with the organ needing rdmoval.
:14:29. > :14:34.She has recovered but is sthll under the care of Birmingham Children s
:14:35. > :14:39.Hospital. Her mother, 26`ye`r`old Kerry, is in trouble with the
:14:40. > :14:42.authorities after keeping hdr daughter off school when shd
:14:43. > :14:50.complained of stomach pains. Today, she was told the case will go to
:14:51. > :14:54.court. I am dreading it. I have never been to court. I'm concerned
:14:55. > :14:58.about having a criminal record if convicted. I want to be a c`rer and
:14:59. > :15:01.if I do not have a good record I will not be able to.
:15:02. > :15:05.The school that she attends wasn't given the proper documentathon
:15:06. > :15:15.and unauthorised absences are against the law.
:15:16. > :15:20.short of money and short of credit on her phone at times. That can be
:15:21. > :15:24.embarrassing for a young mother to explain to a headteacher or
:15:25. > :15:30.assistant headteacher or person in authority at the school. Kerry has
:15:31. > :15:31.explained her lack of communication, as have we in a
:15:32. > :15:34.letter to the council. Kerry Capper was hoping
:15:35. > :15:36.to avoid prosecution with a meeting with
:15:37. > :15:38.a local councillor. But, all along, the city cotncil
:15:39. > :15:41.has said that she needs proof that her daughter was
:15:42. > :15:55.definitely ill on the seven days Birmingham City Council has
:15:56. > :15:58.confirmed that she will havd to appear here at the magistrates court
:15:59. > :16:03.on the 5th of September. Wh`tever the rights and wrongs of thd case,
:16:04. > :16:07.both sides agree that if fotnd guilty, she will not face a
:16:08. > :16:12.custodial sentence but rathdr a fine. But she will have to `ppear
:16:13. > :16:17.before the magistrates and dxplain herself.
:16:18. > :16:24.West Midlands Ambulance revdals there were hundreds of 999 calls
:16:25. > :16:30.Shefali's coming along with the weather forecast
:16:31. > :16:45.I at one small West Midlands rugby club with a waiting to greet some of
:16:46. > :16:48.the greatest players in the world. The Tigers burning bright
:16:49. > :16:50.as they hurtle headlong Specialist teams have spent
:16:51. > :16:56.the past few weeks making their way across Cannock Chase, sprayhng the
:16:57. > :17:00.bracken to keep it under control. The spray is not harmful to
:17:01. > :17:03.the wildlife, such as the dder, which help attract thousands
:17:04. > :17:07.of visitors to the area each year. But it is vital in protecting some
:17:08. > :17:23.of the unique qualities of the area. It is an ancient heathland `nd
:17:24. > :17:30.classed as an area of outst`nding natural beauty. But caring for it
:17:31. > :17:34.also involves controlling the landscape. That is why teams are out
:17:35. > :17:39.spraying bracken, which thrdatens to crowd out other wildlife. In the
:17:40. > :17:48.last 30 or 40 years, it has become very invasive. We want to gdt it
:17:49. > :17:53.under control to allow the other wildlife to thrive. Treating the
:17:54. > :17:57.bracken is part of a 10`year programme that has been approved by
:17:58. > :18:00.conservation experts. The spray being used only destroyed the
:18:01. > :18:04.bracken, it is harmless to other wildlife and there are no d`ngers to
:18:05. > :18:11.the thousands of summer vishtors here. What the visitors might not
:18:12. > :18:16.know is that this has historic importance. This area was where
:18:17. > :18:21.during World War I, trenches were dug to allow the Army to pr`ctice.
:18:22. > :18:25.What we have here is one of the trenches. If I get into it, it is
:18:26. > :18:29.about three feet deep. The reason it has survived so well is bec`use
:18:30. > :18:35.there has been such a good covering of bilberry here. The brackdn root
:18:36. > :18:43.system would have destroyed it. The bilberry and the removal of the
:18:44. > :18:51.bracken has reserved. It is vital work to protect and preservd this
:18:52. > :18:52.precious countryside. It really is a magnificent part of
:18:53. > :18:56.the world. Schools, universities and clubs
:18:57. > :18:59.across the Midlands have bedn chosen as bases for teams competing
:19:00. > :19:01.in next year's Rugby World Cup. The tournament's taking place
:19:02. > :19:03.in England and Wales and there are 20 teams
:19:04. > :19:07.in need of training facilithes is at Sutton Coldfield Rugbx Club
:19:08. > :19:11.this evening. Which teams are going to
:19:12. > :19:24.be training there, Ben? It will be Samoa and Romani` who are
:19:25. > :19:27.coming here to train and be based in September and October next xear
:19:28. > :19:33.They are not the only ones. There are five other locations in the West
:19:34. > :19:40.Midlands where they will host teams. The University of Birminghal will be
:19:41. > :19:47.the base for South Africa, the double world champions. St George's
:19:48. > :19:56.Park will host Ireland and Argentina. Argentina will also have
:19:57. > :20:06.a second base at Cheltenham rugby club. Japan will be based at Warwick
:20:07. > :20:11.School. One man is delighted by today's announcement. The chairman.
:20:12. > :20:16.What does this mean? It is lassive for the club. For a club like us to
:20:17. > :20:20.attract to international te`ms is massive. You were saying thhs is
:20:21. > :20:27.like Kidderminster or Nuneaton getting into the football World Cup.
:20:28. > :20:31.It issued for the town. It hs a whole town bid. We brought hn the
:20:32. > :20:43.College and the gym on site as well as the legislator. It will be `` as
:20:44. > :20:49.well as the leisure centre. We will be having a new floodlit pitch laid
:20:50. > :20:56.and we're looking at an invdstment of ?250,000. That speak the club
:20:57. > :21:00.captain. For you, having thd players of the standard of Samoa and
:21:01. > :21:10.Romania, what does it mean for you? It is fantastic for guys at our
:21:11. > :21:17.level. We are looking forward to the scrum for tickets, let alond the
:21:18. > :21:25.matches. It is going to be fantastic to get up close and personal. We
:21:26. > :21:30.have had our fair share of excitement. We had Barbados here
:21:31. > :21:36.over the summer and that has been great but comparatively, we're not
:21:37. > :21:47.in the same league as some hour `` as some Samoa. The club will not get
:21:48. > :21:51.any money for this but hopefully, it will build a club's reputathon.
:21:52. > :21:53.Football and it's the second round of the Capital One Cup tonight.
:21:54. > :21:55.Shrewsbury Town, Portvale, West Bromwich Albion
:21:56. > :21:58.Walsall, in fact, could be giant killers
:21:59. > :22:00.as they host troubled Premidr League side Crystal Palace.
:22:01. > :22:03.And you can follow how they all get on this evening,
:22:04. > :22:08.with updates and commentary on your local BBC radio station
:22:09. > :22:11.The new ice hockey season's just a couple of weeks away.
:22:12. > :22:14.And there's a fresh wave of optimism at the Telford Tigers.
:22:15. > :22:16.The club's been taken over by new owners
:22:17. > :22:18.and they've invested heavilx in a strong squad,
:22:19. > :22:19.who are aiming to win the Premier League.
:22:20. > :22:24.From Shropshire, Ian Winter reports.
:22:25. > :22:26.Look around the locker room and what do you see?
:22:27. > :22:28.Caged Tigers ` around two dozen of them `
:22:29. > :22:32.and launch an attack on the Premier League,
:22:33. > :22:39.because the new season is fast approaching.
:22:40. > :22:42.It is 26 years since Telford last won the league and the Tigers
:22:43. > :22:45.believe they can win it agahn. because head coach Tom Watkhns
:22:46. > :22:49.has been given the green light to strengthen his squad
:22:50. > :22:52.by the club's new owners. And that's why he's signed
:22:53. > :22:54.12 top`quality players, one of several full`time
:22:55. > :23:08.professionals in the Tigers squad. Everybody is upbeat. Some gtys have
:23:09. > :23:17.been here for a few years, dveryone is looking forward to the sdason.
:23:18. > :23:20.You want to close the gap and eliminate them.
:23:21. > :23:23.American coach Tim Branham normally works with the Utah Grizzlids,
:23:24. > :23:29.to pass on some of his expertise to the Tigdrs.
:23:30. > :23:29.Last season, they finished 6th and made the play`offs.
:23:30. > :23:34.But, this time round, expectations are much higher
:23:35. > :23:41.Give us your view of the st`ndard you have seen here. It is great
:23:42. > :23:45.There are a lot of good plaxers from goal is to defence, the forwards are
:23:46. > :23:49.very skilled, so it has been a really good experience. So what
:23:50. > :23:55.impact have a new owners made? Massive. The dressing room hs
:23:56. > :23:59.completely different, the ever structure around the club itself is
:24:00. > :24:04.improving massively. The te`m on the ice is going to be completely
:24:05. > :24:05.different from what it was previously. We will be a totgh team
:24:06. > :24:07.to beat. The collective noun
:24:08. > :24:09.for a group of these big cats No wonder the English Premidr
:24:10. > :24:13.League will beware of Telford. They're hotly tipped to win a clean
:24:14. > :24:16.sweep of silverware this se`son because, once they get
:24:17. > :24:18.their heads down on the ice, Having been to the wettest barbecue
:24:19. > :24:27.in world history yesterday, I do hope things are going to dry up
:24:28. > :24:40.a bit this week. I think we need a lie down `nd
:24:41. > :24:46.another holiday to get over it yesterday's terrible weather. We're
:24:47. > :24:54.not looking at anything so bad this week. It will be fairly unsdttled.
:24:55. > :24:58.It is becoming breezy and could be a touch warmer at times. It whll be
:24:59. > :25:06.this system that is the prelude to that. Because it is a warm
:25:07. > :25:12.formation, the temperatures will rise. It is bringing rain in for
:25:13. > :25:14.tomorrow evening and also for the start of Thursday. You can see it is
:25:15. > :25:18.attached to this deep area of low pressure centred over Scotl`nd by
:25:19. > :25:25.that time so the isobars around it will be fairly tightly packdd. That
:25:26. > :25:29.is what is leading to the breezy weather. For this evening and
:25:30. > :25:35.overnight, we are in the cldar. It is drying out and we're looking at
:25:36. > :25:41.the cloud breaking up nicelx. Tempted between nine and 10
:25:42. > :25:43.Celsius, and they could be so mist and fog developing as we go towards
:25:44. > :25:48.dawn. That will clear nicelx through tomorrow. Not a lot of sunshine to
:25:49. > :25:52.be had but gradually through the day the cloud will be thickening up from
:25:53. > :26:00.the South West ahead of this system I was talking about. Prior to that,
:26:01. > :26:06.temperatures will rise to 18`20dC, nudging up to those 20s. It is a
:26:07. > :26:14.warm day and it is going to be competing with those condithons from
:26:15. > :26:18.the south`east. Into tomorrow night, the rain moving in will be
:26:19. > :26:24.fragmenting. We cannot rule out the odd heavy burst. Underneath all of
:26:25. > :26:32.this, temperatures are down to between 14`15dC, it will be a warm
:26:33. > :26:37.night. That clears into Thursday. Friday is looking showery.
:26:38. > :26:41.The appalling sexual abuse suffered by nearly 1,500 children
:26:42. > :26:47.The UN calls for e`cigarettds to be banned in indoor public spaces
:26:48. > :26:52.A strain on the service, as West Midlands Ambulance reveals
:26:53. > :26:58.there were hundreds of 999 calls from just one address last xear
:26:59. > :27:00.And police across three counties to map out
:27:01. > :27:05.where controversial stop and search take place.
:27:06. > :27:09.I'll be back at 10pm with your latest update
:27:10. > :27:11.and tonight's Capital One Cup results.