:00:00. > :00:00.The headlines this evening... news teams where you are.
:00:00. > :00:00.42 years on, special posthumous recognition for victims
:00:00. > :00:18.Get's momentous to know that our city is behind us, a cross-party
:00:19. > :00:22.It's a single award for all 21 victims as
:00:23. > :00:27.With a record number of patients waiting on trolleys last week,
:00:28. > :00:31.Stoke and Staffordshire hospitals are the worst in the country.
:00:32. > :00:34.Coming soon: black top milk so dairy farmers can get a better
:00:35. > :00:40.The farmer receives an absolute fair price, the
:00:41. > :00:44.contracts are fair, it's a very transparent situation.
:00:45. > :00:47.35 years ago, temperatures were colder here at RAF Shawbury
:00:48. > :00:54.I'll be finding out why it was a record-breaking year.
:00:55. > :00:57.Well, I'm not seeing anything that extreme for later this week
:00:58. > :01:00.but now that we're one step closer to the arrival of snow -
:01:01. > :01:21.More than 40 years after 21 people were killed
:01:22. > :01:23.in the Birmingham pub bombings, the victims have been honoured
:01:24. > :01:25.today by being given the Freedom of the City.
:01:26. > :01:27.The title is usually given to organisations or people
:01:28. > :01:33.who have served the city in an exceptional way.
:01:34. > :01:35.The victims' families were at the Council House today
:01:36. > :01:38.Here's our Special Correspondent, Peter Wilson.
:01:39. > :01:40.The families whose loved ones died 42 years ago gathered
:01:41. > :01:47.Over the years, the pub bomb campaigners often felt
:01:48. > :01:53.Inside the grand Council chamber of Birmingham's Council House
:01:54. > :02:01.The City Council confers on the 21 victims...
:02:02. > :02:04.The granting of honorary freedom of the city is normally conferred
:02:05. > :02:09.Since the Second World War, it's an honour which has usually
:02:10. > :02:15.We thought it was an appropriate moment to start to do something
:02:16. > :02:20.which says we will never in this city actually forget those 21
:02:21. > :02:23.and that we stand with the families, the surviving families,
:02:24. > :02:30.Nearly 200 people were injured, 21 lost their lives,
:02:31. > :02:36.when two bombs exploded in crowded pubs in Birmingham in 1974.
:02:37. > :02:40.Six Irish men were jailed, their wrongful convictions
:02:41. > :02:46.Because of the controversy surrounding this case,
:02:47. > :02:49.it has felt in the past as though the city wanted to forget
:02:50. > :02:55.But today all of that is forgotten and everyone is describing
:02:56. > :03:09.21 people were murdered 42 years ago and not only were they buried
:03:10. > :03:11.but we believe the establishment has tried to keep their memories
:03:12. > :03:14.and their names and their lives and deaths well and truly buried.
:03:15. > :03:18.But today Birmingham City Council have confirmed that their names,
:03:19. > :03:21.their lives and their deaths and their memories will
:03:22. > :03:38.be for ever invented in the history of this city.
:03:39. > :03:41.their lives and their deaths and their memories will be forever --
:03:42. > :03:42.imbedded in the history of this city.
:03:43. > :03:44.Birmingham now follows Liverpool who also bestowed the freedom
:03:45. > :03:47.of the city on those who died in the Hillsborough disaster.
:03:48. > :03:49.It was quite emotional, just seeing the councillors
:03:50. > :03:51.all together backing our campaign, it was really quite emotional.
:03:52. > :03:54.It brought a tear to my eye, to be honest.
:03:55. > :03:57.What we really need now is all the MPs in the West
:03:58. > :04:00.We have only got about four at the moment.
:04:01. > :04:03.That would make all the difference, if we got the MPs behind us.
:04:04. > :04:05.Today was the first time the city has granted
:04:06. > :04:09.And Peter Wilson is here with me now.
:04:10. > :04:11.An enormously significant landmark today, but the families' campaign
:04:12. > :04:22.It certainly does and all three main political parties on the City
:04:23. > :04:26.Council have given their backing to the families. The inquest into those
:04:27. > :04:34.thefts reopens later this year but still the issue about -- inquest
:04:35. > :04:41.into those deaths. But still be issue about the legal funding is at
:04:42. > :04:45.a stand-off but what was interesting about today was this link with
:04:46. > :04:49.Hillsborough, all the time the families saying we should be treated
:04:50. > :04:51.the same as those families who were of course given legal funding. Thank
:04:52. > :04:53.you. A record number of patients have
:04:54. > :04:56.waited on trolleys in NHS hospitals in the first week of
:04:57. > :04:58.the new year, according to data 485 patients waited
:04:59. > :05:03.more than 12 hours. This time last year only 158
:05:04. > :05:07.patients had waited that long. But one of the worst affected
:05:08. > :05:10.for long trolley waits was the University Hospitals
:05:11. > :05:13.of North Midlands NHS Trust. Last Tuesday, 38 out
:05:14. > :05:20.of 138 cases in England happened in Stoke on Trent,
:05:21. > :05:23.on Thursday they had 33 out of 71 cases and on Sunday
:05:24. > :05:26.they had 20 of the 29 cases. Well our reporter Ben Sidwell
:05:27. > :05:28.is outside the Royal Stoke University hospital tonight - Ben
:05:29. > :05:49.why is the situation so bad there? Well, let us try and put this into
:05:50. > :05:52.context if we can. Between April and September the entire five months,
:05:53. > :05:58.just 43 people were left waiting for more than 12 hours on a trolley. As
:05:59. > :06:01.you just mentioned, three days in January, 91. The Chief Executive of
:06:02. > :06:06.the trust that runs this hospital says it is mainly due to the high
:06:07. > :06:09.levels of ambulance Conde and his and the fact that patients who are
:06:10. > :06:14.medically fit, there is nowhere for them to go. They cannot let people
:06:15. > :06:19.out to get the people in they need to. That speak to Jan, the chief
:06:20. > :06:22.expected of health watch the aperture, an organisation that
:06:23. > :06:26.monitor health care here in Staffordshire. For you, this must be
:06:27. > :06:31.worrying that numbers are going up and up here. Is is extremely
:06:32. > :06:34.worrying and we are concerned about the pressures on the system and the
:06:35. > :06:41.fact that people are experiencing these very long waits and it is
:06:42. > :06:46.worrying for patients and families. We have reported on the sad death of
:06:47. > :06:51.two people who were on trolleys will so many hours. Numbers going up
:06:52. > :06:55.here. Is it sadly that it is inevitable that that will happen
:06:56. > :06:59.here? I am not sure about inevitable but it is a risk. All the work we
:07:00. > :07:02.have done has shown that things are managed here well and although there
:07:03. > :07:07.are long waits the right decisions are made about which people to see
:07:08. > :07:14.quickly and who can wait but the pressures do keep stacking up. He
:07:15. > :07:17.staff do a brilliant job but they're -- there are always risks. We very
:07:18. > :07:24.keen to hear about peopleexperiences. Everyone with an
:07:25. > :07:27.experience can get touch. The problem will not go away soon and
:07:28. > :07:34.what they are saying here is do not come to the 999 unless you have two.
:07:35. > :07:40.Levels of violence at Hewell Prison in Worcestershire are "far
:07:41. > :07:42.too high", according to its latest inspection report.
:07:43. > :07:45.The prison has two parts - a closed jail which holds more
:07:46. > :07:47.than a thousand male prisoners and an open section
:07:48. > :07:56.In the six months between February and August this year,
:07:57. > :07:58.last year, there were 49 fights involving prisoners
:07:59. > :08:02.In addition, four prisoners have taken their own lives since the jail
:08:03. > :08:05.The prison is overcrowded and that's a big problem.
:08:06. > :08:07.It puts a great strain on all the resources that
:08:08. > :08:11.Certainly Hewell has seen the number of staff cut in
:08:12. > :08:13.recent years and that has undoubtedly had an effect.
:08:14. > :08:15.It means prisoners spend longer in their
:08:16. > :08:18.cells and that can lead to rising tension.
:08:19. > :08:20.Two men have been taken to hospital following a fight
:08:21. > :08:22.in Stoney Lane in Sparkbrook, Birmingham yesterday evening.
:08:23. > :08:24.One was stabbed in the neck, another in the arm.
:08:25. > :08:27.Three teenagers, two aged 17 and one aged 19,
:08:28. > :08:32.have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.
:08:33. > :08:34.Police are investigating an incident in Birmingham city centre
:08:35. > :08:38.in which a group of Morris Dancers were accused of racism.
:08:39. > :08:42.A video posted online shows a confrontation in which a man
:08:43. > :08:46.repeatedly denounces the practice of some dancers having
:08:47. > :08:53.One of the Morris Dancers has made a complaint
:08:54. > :09:01.Birmingham Councillor Brigid Jones has confirmed that none
:09:02. > :09:04.of the witnesses who gave evidence to Birmingham City Council's inquiry
:09:05. > :09:06.into the Trojan Horse allegations will have their names
:09:07. > :09:10.Lawyers acting for teachers facing disciplinary action as a result
:09:11. > :09:14.of the allegations there was a hard line Islamic plot to takeover city
:09:15. > :09:17.schools, are pressing for the names of witnesses in the Department
:09:18. > :09:20.of Education's inquiry, to be made public.
:09:21. > :09:23.A court's heard a mother of three was strangled by her jealous
:09:24. > :09:26.ex-partner after embarking on a new relationship.
:09:27. > :09:31.The body of 26-year-old Wendy Mann was found on her kitchen floor
:09:32. > :09:37.Leroy Sterling, who's 63, denies murder and the attempted
:09:38. > :09:40.Our Black Country reporter Ben Godfrey
:09:41. > :09:51.Wendy Mann had three children with Leroy Sterling,
:09:52. > :10:06.The court has heard today that Stirling, fuelled by jealousy over
:10:07. > :10:12.her new relationship with a 53 old man, Trevor Tindale, went to her
:10:13. > :10:17.flat in West Bromwich, grabbed her, dragged her across the floor and
:10:18. > :10:23.strangled her. The court has heard today that one month before her
:10:24. > :10:27.death, Mr Tindale was attacked by Mr Stirling and he was stabbed in the
:10:28. > :10:32.neck and suffered fractures. Sterling denies murder and attempted
:10:33. > :10:40.murder. He's been aided by a translator. What forensics evidence
:10:41. > :10:45.has been presented to the court? A partial DNA profile the court has
:10:46. > :10:50.heard, was found in blood under the fingernails of Wendy man belonging
:10:51. > :10:55.to sterling. Also, DNA on a water beaker inside the kitchen. Images
:10:56. > :10:59.have been shown to the jury today and the prosecution say they detail
:11:00. > :11:02.the movements of sterling from the murder scene on the day in question
:11:03. > :11:08.to his own home, where he is apparently carrying a large holdall
:11:09. > :11:13.carrying children's clothes removed from Wendy's flat. Trevor Tindale
:11:14. > :11:16.detailed the alleged attack on him. He suspect denied murder and
:11:17. > :11:21.attempted murder. This trial is due to last a fortnight.
:11:22. > :11:24.Another attempt to get dairy farmers a better deal has been launched
:11:25. > :11:28."Black top" milk is the idea of the Free Range Milk Marketing Board.
:11:29. > :11:31.They want to offer shoppers milk with a distinctive black cap
:11:32. > :11:35.which costs 25% more than a standard bottle
:11:36. > :11:37.with the extra money going direct to farmers.
:11:38. > :11:38.Our Rural Affairs Correspondent David Gregory-Kumar
:11:39. > :11:41.was at the launch and he's with me now, so is that the
:11:42. > :11:51.This is it, this is black cap milk. The people behind this idea hope
:11:52. > :11:56.that shoppers will soon find this on sale alongside familiar green and
:11:57. > :12:03.red milk. If Green is semi-skimmed, what does double milk contain? The
:12:04. > :12:06.farmer receives a fair price. The contract are fair, it is a
:12:07. > :12:13.transparent situation, which enables the to invest in the best cows,
:12:14. > :12:18.health and welfare. It is a fair way of doing things. This is an
:12:19. > :12:22.Australian supermarket milk aisle and look at all the different milk
:12:23. > :12:27.brands. They all offer shoppers something different. Here we tend to
:12:28. > :12:30.see just whole, semi and semi-skimmed milk so the experts say
:12:31. > :12:34.we could have space him for a brand-new milk brand. But will
:12:35. > :12:38.British shoppers want to pay more? We know that when consumers get the
:12:39. > :12:43.value of something, they will value it because if you buy a drink in a
:12:44. > :12:45.pub you don't buy the cheapest beer necessarily, you buy what you like
:12:46. > :12:51.because you understand what it is and that is what we are doing here.
:12:52. > :12:55.700 farmers have signed up to this scheme so far and the organisers
:12:56. > :12:59.hope to push that number up to 1000 in the next few week. I have heard
:13:00. > :13:04.rumours that things are looking up for dairy farmers with milk prices
:13:05. > :13:07.increasing. Milk prices are on the rise in general. These are the
:13:08. > :13:11.official figures in the milk price from the dairy in Warwickshire.
:13:12. > :13:15.There are several different lines there, different ways to look at
:13:16. > :13:19.that price but the trend is clear, since the summer last year we have
:13:20. > :13:24.seen the start of a little bit of a recovery. Not back to levels last
:13:25. > :13:27.seen in 2013 but going back up nevertheless. But look at the huge
:13:28. > :13:32.volatility in that price. This is why we are seeing dairy farmers try
:13:33. > :13:36.all fours of ideas, like black cap milk, to try and survive and even
:13:37. > :13:38.make money in the dairy game in the face of a roller-coaster milk price.
:13:39. > :13:42.Thank you. Thanks for joining us
:13:43. > :13:44.on Midlands Today, this 42 years on, special posthumous
:13:45. > :13:47.recognition for victims Definitely getting cooler,
:13:48. > :13:51.but not as cold as it was 1982 was a record breaking
:13:52. > :13:59.year for Shropshire. Cold winds from Siberia
:14:00. > :14:01.and lots of snow lead to temperatures falling
:14:02. > :14:05.to minus 26.1 Celsius, Shawbury ground to a halt,
:14:06. > :14:20.I'll be speaking to one man We may not be seeing the extremes of
:14:21. > :14:24.Siberian cold heading our way this week but there is an Arctic blast
:14:25. > :14:30.and a warning for snow. Details in the upcoming forecast.
:14:31. > :14:33.Now, it's not your usual kind of building to get a royal opening,
:14:34. > :14:35.but her Royal Highness, Princess Anne was in Shropshire
:14:36. > :14:39.today to officially open an incinerator.
:14:40. > :14:44.The multi million pound project will provide enough electricity
:14:45. > :14:47.to power thousands of local homes, and even has its own visitor centre.
:14:48. > :14:52.A royal visit to officially open Shrewsbury's new incinerator.
:14:53. > :14:55.Tens of thousands of tonnes of non-recyclable household
:14:56. > :14:58.waste is being processed here to produce electricity.
:14:59. > :15:02.Officials say the new plant is an important part of the county's
:15:03. > :15:08.Only 5% of the total rubbish produced in Shropshire goes
:15:09. > :15:13.into landfill and a few years ago it was 100% going into landfill,
:15:14. > :15:20.The plant's taken four years to build at a cost of ?63 million.
:15:21. > :15:24.It operates in a similar way to a coal or gas powered station.
:15:25. > :15:28.The main difference is that it uses local waste as fuel.
:15:29. > :15:32.This is where the waste is processed.
:15:33. > :15:35.It's delivered here by truck, mixed together by these cranes
:15:36. > :15:38.and then the cranes transport it to the furnace.
:15:39. > :15:42.90,000 tonnes of waste can be processed here each year and that's
:15:43. > :15:50.The process produces gas and dust, which are treated to clean them up.
:15:51. > :15:58.There is not a single health issue with the gas here at all,
:15:59. > :16:01.so I would live very easily near a plant like that one.
:16:02. > :16:04.No problem, nothing to worry and don't take my word for it,
:16:05. > :16:07.you know, the government and a lot of bodies are controlling
:16:08. > :16:12.The recycling rate across Shropshire has been above the national average
:16:13. > :16:16.for many years and with this plant now officially opened, it is hoped
:16:17. > :16:24.Nicola Beckford, BBC Midlands Today, Shrewsbury.
:16:25. > :16:27.Rugby Union and Wasps' James Haskell is unlikely to be fit to play
:16:28. > :16:32.The England forward came back from a long injury lay off
:16:33. > :16:35.on Sunday, but played for just 35 seconds against Leicester before
:16:36. > :16:40.But Wasps have been praised for putting player welfare first.
:16:41. > :16:47.He'd waited all season for this - it was over in a flash.
:16:48. > :16:50.Just 35 seconds into his seasonal debut and James Haskell suffered
:16:51. > :16:59.And now the England international looks unlikely to face Toulouse
:17:00. > :17:05.in the Champions Cup on Saturday.
:17:06. > :17:10.Probably unlikely that he is going to be fit for the weekend at real
:17:11. > :17:13.Probably unlikely that he is going to be fit for the weekend but real
:17:14. > :17:16.difficult way to come back obviously but it happens, you know,
:17:17. > :17:19.but thankfully there is nothing that is going to keep him off
:17:20. > :17:22.He's laughing and joking about it and he's always the first guy
:17:23. > :17:25.to give everybody a little bit of stick so here's having
:17:26. > :17:29.Concussion has been a huge topic in rugby in recent seasons.
:17:30. > :17:31.Much of that has centred around Wales international George North.
:17:32. > :17:34.Two years ago he played on after this incident.
:17:35. > :17:35.Now, any player that loses consciousness
:17:36. > :17:40.I think the fact that it is a topic and that it is being talked
:17:41. > :17:43.about can only be a positive thing for us as players but also
:17:44. > :17:46.for the game as a whole, right from grassroots to the top
:17:47. > :17:50.The fact that we are talking about it, the fact that people
:17:51. > :17:52.are having discussions about it surely means that this topic
:17:53. > :17:55.is going to take some time but hopefully it will move
:17:56. > :17:59.Solihul GP Dr Lou Lupoli has worked in rugby for 20 years
:18:00. > :18:02.He says the sport has benefited from re-search into dementia
:18:03. > :18:04.He says the sport has benefited from research into dementia
:18:05. > :18:08.Initially there is a risk that having had a head injury
:18:09. > :18:11.they are less able to make decisions about themselves so they are more
:18:12. > :18:14.prone to injury and very rarely they may sustain a second head
:18:15. > :18:16.injury, which can lead to some very catastrophic
:18:17. > :18:19.So, Wasps must continue their fine form without Haskell.
:18:20. > :18:22.The top of the premiership and top of the pool
:18:23. > :18:28.Victory over Toulouse on Saturday and the whole squad will be heading
:18:29. > :18:38.Firefighters have helped rescue a cat in Walsall.
:18:39. > :18:40.But this time, it hadn't got stuck up a tree,
:18:41. > :18:45.It had got stuck in the drainage hole of a communal rubbish bin.
:18:46. > :18:48.Fire crews and staff from the RSPCA were called in after a member
:18:49. > :18:51.of the public heard the kitten meowing in Glebe Street on Monday.
:18:52. > :19:00.The animal was unhurt and has since been nicknamed Dusty.
:19:01. > :19:03.Not stuck in a bin, but the Blue Rock thrush has been
:19:04. > :19:06.spotted in the UK for the first time in ten years.
:19:07. > :19:08.It's taken up residence in Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire,
:19:09. > :19:10.attracting hundreds of bird enthusiasts.
:19:11. > :19:16.Trying to catch a glimpse of history in the making.
:19:17. > :19:18.These bird-watchers have come from across the country,
:19:19. > :19:23.all in a bid to see something rarely seen, the Blue Rock thrush.
:19:24. > :19:26.It's just exactly that, it's the being here
:19:27. > :19:36.That's like a lifetime tick, if you like.
:19:37. > :19:39.It is a big adrenaline rush and it's an even bigger adrenaline rush
:19:40. > :19:47.You know, the guy who found this must have thought, yes!
:19:48. > :19:50.It's just the seventh confirmed sighting of this bird since 1985.
:19:51. > :19:57.Bridget Jennings spotted it in her garden just before Christmas
:19:58. > :20:01.but didn't initially realise its importance.
:20:02. > :20:04.It looked like a blackbird crossed with a starling, but in the light,
:20:05. > :20:07.it was a sort of bluey colour and we weren't quite
:20:08. > :20:12.A picture was posted online and since then,
:20:13. > :20:15.bird-watchers have been flocking from as far as Singapore.
:20:16. > :20:19.You know, we didn't realise what a furore it was going to cause,
:20:20. > :20:22.but with all the twitchers coming and everything, you know,
:20:23. > :20:26.The appearance has even boosted a charity that
:20:27. > :20:32.These volunteers have been keeping the bird-watchers fueled
:20:33. > :20:34.with teas and coffees, raising ?2000 in donations.
:20:35. > :20:38.No one knows exactly how long the Blue Rock
:20:39. > :20:46.Experts believe it could stay until the spring.
:20:47. > :20:50.This week temperatures in Moscow have plummeted to -25 Celsius.
:20:51. > :20:53.It's hard to imagine it being that cold isn't it?
:20:54. > :20:55.But actually 35 years ago it was even colder
:20:56. > :20:58.In fact, it was colder than the South Pole.
:20:59. > :21:01.Rebecca Wood has been looking into those record
:21:02. > :21:03.breaking temperatures - she's at RAF Shawbury this
:21:04. > :21:06.evening where things are, I should think, a little less
:21:07. > :21:21.Yes, they certainly are. It is a little warmer but not very warm, I
:21:22. > :21:26.am keeping my coat on! In December 1981 and January 1982 we were down
:21:27. > :21:31.to minus 20. In Shawbury we drop to minus 20.2. Just a few miles down
:21:32. > :21:34.the road, they got even colder and that is where I spent this morning.
:21:35. > :21:37.The West Midlands was blanketed in snow.
:21:38. > :21:39.Temperatures across the region widely fell to -20
:21:40. > :21:43.And here at Harper Adams University in Shropshire, a record
:21:44. > :21:49.It was this weather station where the mercury dropped to -26.1
:21:50. > :21:51.Celsius and that's still the lowest recorded temperature in England.
:21:52. > :21:56.Grounds manager Mark Wall remembers the moment
:21:57. > :22:03.It was just another cold night and of course it wasn't until days
:22:04. > :22:06.later when all the rest of the data was in from around the country that
:22:07. > :22:10.actually here, Harper Adams, was the coldest spot in England
:22:11. > :22:18.Although the official reading was made in Newport,
:22:19. > :22:22.it was originally attributed to Shawbury, where at the RAF base,
:22:23. > :22:28.That day, it was too cold to even go out
:22:29. > :22:33.Everyone turned up for work and made their way to work
:22:34. > :22:35.but they didn't go out in the aircraft that day.
:22:36. > :22:39.The base has its own dedicated Met Office staff because not flying
:22:40. > :22:49.Well, that's down to a series of circumstances.
:22:50. > :22:59.A perfect storm, whereby you combine all the factors, you have cold air,
:23:00. > :23:01.ideal cooling conditions, plenty of snow on the ground,
:23:02. > :23:03.good local geography, so all those factors combined
:23:04. > :23:05.with the period of cold weather leading up to that,
:23:06. > :23:10.With heavy snow, travel across the region was virtually
:23:11. > :23:12.impossible and even the river Avon froze.
:23:13. > :23:15.There's snow forecast later this week and chilly northerly winds,
:23:16. > :23:21.we're in for a cold snap, but perhaps not as chilly as 1982.
:23:22. > :23:30.Thankfully we are a good 20 degrees higher than that at the moment. It
:23:31. > :23:35.is hard to imagine how it would feel to be that cold but Ian Forshaw was
:23:36. > :23:40.a lad based here back then. Take me back to 1982. What are your
:23:41. > :23:45.memories? I can remember one thing, it was so cold that the cold water
:23:46. > :23:49.pipes froze and they are about one metre underground so people had to
:23:50. > :23:53.ask neighbours if their taps were working and borrow water from them.
:23:54. > :23:58.I have heard about diesel in tanks being frozen as well. Some of the
:23:59. > :24:02.vehicles, there were no additives so somewhere frozen. You took a photo
:24:03. > :24:08.of recordings of the temperature being taken. They were wearing skis.
:24:09. > :24:12.Was it really that bad question what the people at the RAF always have a
:24:13. > :24:15.good sense of humour and one of the gentleman went to work on his
:24:16. > :24:24.cross-country skis and then the Met office check the temperature. -26.1,
:24:25. > :24:28.it was cold! Oh yes, very cold. I think for about a week people try to
:24:29. > :24:35.hibernate more than anything to stay warm. Has anything at Shawbury match
:24:36. > :24:39.that? In 2010 it was picturesque. It wasn't that temperature but we had a
:24:40. > :24:43.heavy frost and the whole airfield, the trees around, were very
:24:44. > :24:46.picturesque. We have some nice calendar pictures that we used
:24:47. > :24:51.later. This is a Griffin helicopter and this is a Griffin door for all
:24:52. > :24:53.those Harry Potter fans. I couldn't resist!
:24:54. > :24:56.And hundreds of you have been sharing your memories of the snow
:24:57. > :24:59.and cold weather from 1982 on our Facebook page -
:25:00. > :25:01.thanks so much, here's a small selection of what you've
:25:02. > :25:03.been telling us. Carol Simpson wrote...
:25:04. > :25:06."We were walking on top of 8-foot snowdrifts which had cars
:25:07. > :25:16.I had to shout out of the window and ask someone to phone my dad
:25:17. > :25:20."We were without power and water for days.
:25:21. > :25:22.It was like the good old days when families spent evenings
:25:23. > :25:24.together gathered around the fire in one room, actually
:25:25. > :25:32.So, things looking cooler in the next few days
:25:33. > :25:33.but not -26 Celsius, I hope.
:25:34. > :25:49.Today, in contrast, was very mild. We had highs of seven to nine
:25:50. > :25:53.Celsius and we had variable amounts of cloud, producing an array of
:25:54. > :25:58.colours, from lilac too great to blue as well. You might want to add
:25:59. > :26:01.white to that to the time we get to Thursday because we have a warning
:26:02. > :26:05.in place for the south of the region. This is for localised
:26:06. > :26:07.snowfall and this is for Herefordshire, Worcestershire honour
:26:08. > :26:10.Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. At the moment it looks as though it
:26:11. > :26:13.will produce minor disruption but that could change into something
:26:14. > :26:19.more substantial by the time you get to that stage. This is what is
:26:20. > :26:23.causing it, we have two areas of concern, this Arctic blast drawing
:26:24. > :26:28.in cold air from the Northwest and that is going to combine with an
:26:29. > :26:32.area of rain and crossing the country and that is during the
:26:33. > :26:36.course of Thursday. We have to watch the northern extent of this rain and
:26:37. > :26:40.the southern extent that cold air leading down from that direction
:26:41. > :26:43.from the Arctic. Things are on a knife edge, really, because it
:26:44. > :26:48.depends on how they join together and up into one another as to how
:26:49. > :26:52.much snow we will get. Winds are going to be gusty over the next few
:26:53. > :26:56.days and it is as those winds drop out on Friday that we could see a
:26:57. > :27:00.widespread frost. Two areas of concern over the next few days, the
:27:01. > :27:04.snow in the southern half of the region and a heavy frost on Friday
:27:05. > :27:08.night into Saturday. Let us take a look at this evening and overnight
:27:09. > :27:11.and we have got quite a bit of cloud across us right now so it will be
:27:12. > :27:15.mild tonight, temperatures only boarding to six or seven Celsius.
:27:16. > :27:19.Dry initially but then we have a warm sector set of fronts moving in
:27:20. > :27:23.from the West during the early hours and that will bring in light, patchy
:27:24. > :27:27.rain. This is how we start the day tomorrow, a bit of rain in the
:27:28. > :27:31.south-east, a few spots in the north of the region but it will be a
:27:32. > :27:34.mainly dry day. We start to see those gusts kicking in late in the
:27:35. > :27:35.day. The mildest temperature will be in the morning. Highs of nine
:27:36. > :27:39.Celsius dropping to four or five. I'll be back at 10.30pm
:27:40. > :27:42.with your late update. It's back... Let's get ready to
:27:43. > :28:27.grumble. ..with more belligerence... Can you imagine anything more
:28:28. > :28:30.diabolical? ..moaning... ..and nonsensical items...
:28:31. > :28:38.Don't send me a curve-ball, Nigel.