25/04/2017 Midlands Today

From Brexit to general election - how immigration is influencing

It seems to be going to foreigners and not British people.

We'll be looking at the impact Brexit could have on the way people

Bruno Mars fans left out in the cold. We found out why.

Thieves on the roof, rural churches across the region

warning of an increase in lead theft

Insurance will only pay at a maximum of 7500 and the estimate we've had,

thus far, for replacing and repair is over ?20,000.

Halting the sharp decline of the water vole by building them bespoke

hotels. And hail, sleet and snow,

even some sunshine today Surely, it's has to

improve by the weekend? The details coming

up in the forecast. How will Brexit influence

your vote on June 8th? One memorable reaction

after the EU referendum last year, came from a woman

in the Black Country. She declared it

"the best day of my life". With the snap General Election

a little over six weeks away, we've returned to Princes End

in Tipton, an area where almost

two thirds of people voted Leave. Their MP Adrian Bailey

- a firm "remainer" - increased his majority at the last

General Election. So how might Brexit

affect things this time? Our Black Country reporter

Ben Godfrey has been Labour will outline their

plans today for Brexit. Trying to keep the single market

and unilaterally guaranteeing Princes End - if there is such

a thing as a "Brexit Sitting in the Labour stronghold

of West Bromwich West. Here almost two thirds of people

voted to Leave the EU. And last June, they couldn't

hide their delight. It's been the best

day of my life today. So the next test at the polls

is galloping towards us. It might be windswept

and raining but this is the best way to get around

Tipton and Princes End today. To find out what people are thinking

about the general election. First I met Robert Evans,

who owns the Handyman shop on the High Street -

and found deep frustration. I've been a Labour man all my life

but this time around I will be I think Theresa May is going

to do better for this This sort of area,

people see a lot of immigration coming

into this sort of area. It's such as the housing

and that kind of thing. New homes are being built

in Princes End and Last year almost one in ten people

here were unemployed and in the Mansell family home I

found Mum Linda and daughter Stacey Linda, a single mother of six

on benefits, told me she's voted Labour in the past but needs

assurances the next Government will do more to reduce childcare

costs and help her back to work It's like when you

apply for a job and you apply for it but there's

never nothing there. It's mainly them people

who come over here take all Is that not an attitude

that some people might They need to give people who have

got low-income bit more money to help them with the

children, and that. A Britain out of the EU

has been realised - here the opposite is also true,

according to Saren Ali. He runs a European food store

and has seen his takings fall He wants the next Government

to act quickly to protect It's not going to be easy

for them and loads of And then the businesses

are going to go down. There is loads of shops,

loads of people is These estates may be small,

polling turnout relatively low - but politicians ignore

them at their peril. Ben Godfrey,

BBC Midlands Today, Princes End. Let's put Ben Godfrey's

findings into perspective. Our Political Editor Patrick Burns

is here with me now. How big an impact will Brexit have

on this general election It's why this is

a general election like no other. Ben's just confirmed in areas

like that attitudes on Europe Labour's Brexit spokesman

Sir Keir Starmer has been clarifying the party's position

today, as will he might. Because perceptions that

Jeremy Corbyn is lukewarm on Europe and that his party is half-hearted

about Brexit risk Labour being stranded in no-man's-land,

with the Tories gaining support at Labour and Ukip's expense and

the Liberal Democrats winning-over Conservatives could pick up seats

in the Black Country? Why else would Theresa May have been

in Dudley at the weekend? She's

signalling the Tories We've heard how strongly

the Immigration issue is running. So she's sticking to her ambitious,

some say overambitious target, of reducing net migration

to the tens of thousands. And why she says she can't give

up-front guarantees on EU nationals over here before the negotiations

about UK nationals over there. Labour could lose nine

of their 25 local MPs. And if the Crown Prosecution Service

presses charges against Conservatives in key marginal seats

over the party's general election spending last time,

that could drive a coach and horses Or a pony and trap in Ben Godfrey's

case! Hundreds of Bruno Mars fans

were left disappointed last night - after they were forced to miss

a large part of the singer's concert in Birmingham,

due to ticket problems. Fans took to social media,

complaining at an apparent issue Our Arts Reporter Satnam Rana

joins us from now, near the Barclaycard Arena -

where the concert took place. Fans are already queueing to get

into tonight's performance from Bruno Mars.

The American singer is currently on the European leg of his

but some fans missed out on him last night.

They had turned up with invalid tickets -

mainly E tickets for the standing area which would not scan.

weaved around the bridge leaving fans out in the cold.

These are just some of the photos shared on social media

What's happened is that in March the NEC group re-issued tickets

the idea was to make it easier for people to get in.

But the NEC group have admitted failing to communicate this

This lead to some fans missing a bulk of the concert.

Waited nearly three hours in a queue outside.

And when we got there, told there was nothing wrong with the

tickets and we can go and enjoy the rest of the show

So, after waiting all the time, to be told there's nothing

nobody can do, absolutely disgusting.

To add to the problem, some people had purchased tickets

from secondary sellers and therefore were unable to get in at all -

They were OK. They were a bit disappointed.

I think his teacher said at school because

I went back to see the little one to make sure he was in his class

She said, he's told me that he couldn't

go last night because they'd obviously been to school the day

before telling everybody they were going to see Bruno Mars.

The NEC have apologised for what happened.

Some of those children, thankfully, are coming

again tonight which is a great thing, so they'll get who they want

Some of them have got different circumstances

some of them have taken tickets for different events in the future

at our two wonderful arenas so we will be working

So, once again, we do apologise to our 211 customers who

did not get the experience they wanted when we sold them the ticket.

Fans are on the move going into the arena tonight. It's hoped that some

of them are not as disappointed as some of them were last night.

More than a dozen churches have been stripped of lead from their roofs,

The trail of destruction means many small parishes have been left

with repair bills running to tens of thousands of pounds.

St Peter's Church has been at the heart of the Worcestershire

village of Inkberrow since the 13th century, but in the last

few weeks it's twice been targeted by lead thieves.

From the top of the tower, you can see the real

When the lead is removed, the roof is no longer secure, no longer

sealed, and then water gets in. Often, you don't find out the lead

has gone until we get rain. Then the damage is done.

Around two and half tonnes of lead were stolen in the two

attacks, leaving St Peter's with a bill of around ?20,000.

You can do so much. We have extra cameras and floodlighting on the

roof. Other precautions are being taken. That's all you can do. We

hope it's going to be sufficient to stop any in the future.

It's a similar story across Worcestershire at St Andrew's

Although not as obvious, nearly all the lead flashings around

around one and a half tonnes of metal, was stolen.

The insurance will only pay out a maximum of 7500. The estimate we've

had so far for replacement and repair is over ?20,000. There's

massive shortfall that we, as a church are going to have to find.

It's not just these places, I've heard of at least ten places. The

effect is intelligible to these small congregations. It's

horrendous. It's thought the sharp

rise in the price of lead is the reason for the recent

spate of thefts. Those churches targeted now

have to try and raise A heavily pregnant woman

from Birmingham has appeared before magistrates,

charged with helping her husband buy a knife in a plot

to carry-out a terror attack. Madihah Taheer

- who's 21-years-old - appeared at Westminster Magistrates

this morning. She's accused of providing

her bank details This allegedly

enabled him to buy a knife. They'll both appear

at the Old Bailey on Friday. Virgin Trains has announced

it's linked up with the French rail operator, SNCF,

to bid for the right The Government is offering

a franchise covering the existing West Coast Main Line services,

from 2019 - and initial high speed trains between London

and Birmingham from 2026. SNCF has experience

of operating high speed rail Communist Party candidate

Graham Stevenson has launched his manifesto

for the Metro Mayor The retired trade union official

wants to see the nationalisation of the M6 toll road -

and a living wage of ?10 an hour. He's also campaigning

on public transport. Public ownership of buses, where

massive investment in infrastructure with the aim of lowering the cost

of getting on a bus, cheaper fares, regular buses, these are policies

that are needed to turn things The number of people asking for help

from food banks in the West Midlands In the last year more than a hundred

thousand emergency food supplies Laura May McMullan has been

to a food bank in Stoke-on-trent, where people say they're really

struggling to survive. It honestly is the most kindest

environment and I'd push anyone to use the food bank

if they were struggling. Coming to the food bank now

for me is essential, making ends meet is

very very difficult. I'd be in the situation where I'd

need to be asking food bank in Stoke-on-Trent -

enough supplies were given out The need here has doubled

in the last two and a half years. with is people on benefit delays,

and their situation is I now have nothing, how am I supposed to live

for the next couple of weeks? It's a question John Edwards

is asking himself. He's used the food bank

and says he's in dire straits. He lost his job at the end of March

and was put on to universal credit. It means he now has to wait another

month before he gets any benefits. When you're used to being paid

weekly and then you've got to go to monthly and now I've been

told I can't get anything until the 26th next month,

so I don't know what I'm The Department of Work and Pensions

told me that the reason for food bank use are complex -

not linked to any one issue. "under Universal Credit

people are moving into work faster and staying in work

longer than under Payments mirror the way many

people in work are paid. Budgeting support, benefit advances,

and direct rent payments to landlords are available

to those who need them." John says he hasn't got a penny to

his name. He's hoping the council will help with his rent until he

receives benefits in a month's time. Thanks for joining us

on Midlands Today - still to come

on tonight's programme - Live at Walsall where Port Vale must

win to keep their faint chances of going up alive. But they haven't

scored in five games, so don't bank on it.

And take a look at these weather watchers photos from today

to the aftermath of snow in Shropshire

and Stratford-upon-Avon basking in blue sky and a bit

A real mixed bag which we'll see more of tomorrow.

Find out later whether it's going to last into the weekend.

A collection of rare pottery made in the

18TH century in Shropshire, is likely to fetch 70 thousand

Maurice Wright loves the 400 pieces - even though his wife jokes that

The sale is attracting international interest from collectors.

Joanne Writtle has been finding out more.

Maurice Wright has a passion for this rare pottery made near

Ironbridge but he feels some people won't share his love of it. Most

people will think it's a load of old parts collected by an obsessive man

with the patience of his wife. The collection is worth at least

?70,000, though. He's selling it tomorrow. There are shapes that

people would hunt for and pieces that people would look for four

years and years. To see it all together, this is the history of one

factory in a collection. He has collected the porcelain since the

late 60s. It was an interest and not an investment. Lots of pieces have

got chips and cracks. That hasn't mattered because it was important to

have an example. The auction is attracting huge interest. How it has

survived through the years. Their history, who is handled it, where's

it been. Once its journey? We've travelled from London because we are

very interested in this porcelain. This is the most important piece in

the collection. It dates back to 1790 and features de Ironbridge just

after it was completed. It is worth 3500. The porcelain works were

started in 1775, now just a small brick monument remains. It was a

very busy factory, not as large as a 19th century like Coalport. But it

employed many workers, some of them quite skilled. Back at the auction

room, Morris reveals why he is selling. I'm over 80 now and we

don't want the children to be burdened by the responsibility of

it. John it my wife certainly doesn't want to be burdened with the

responsibility if I pop off suddenly.

In tonight's sport, Port Vale will be relegated from League One

if they fail to beat Walsall at the Banks's Stadium.

But before we turn to that, the Birmingham City captain

Paul Robinson could miss the last two games of the season?

Mary, Paul Robinson has been charged with alleged violent conduct

during Sunday's derby game at Villa Park.

The incident wasn't spotted by the match officials.

But a panel of three former referees will study video evidence.

And if the charge is upheld unanimously, then Robinson could be

suspended for the next three games at least.

He's got until 6pm tomorrow to reply to the charge.

At least Birmingham are two points clear of relegation,

which is more than can be said for Port Vale in League One.

Yes, Vale have failed to score a single goal in their last five

games which explains why they need a miracle to avoid relegation.

Eddie Jackson and his wife Jean never miss a Port Vale game.

Not quite. I'm the eternal pessimist but a couple of things in our

favour. Walsall have only won one in the last eight of themselves and

they can't go up or down so I think Paul Vale might be slightly more

motivated than they are. But they are very poor team on rotten run.

We've only won one away game so I'm not expecting us to do what we need

to do. Vale simply have to win tonight

to stand even a faint Not a lot of people know this,

but you've both got season tickets at Newcastle United as well

as Port Vale. So last night's promotion party

could be followed by a relegation True. Having season tickets at these

two clubs, I should have deeply stupid imprinted on my forehead.

Last night was great but this could be from the sublime to the

ridiculous. I hope it isn't but recent form suggests we won't do

anything. Also tonight, Wolves

play Huddersfield in You can follow all the action

on BBC WM and BBC Radio Stoke. We will have the results on the late

bulletin at 10:30pm. A 78-year-old cyclist from Coventry,

is to ride the 3,400 km route Mick Ives aims to raise

60 thousand pounds for charity - 12 years ago, he tackled the route

of the Tour de France. But he says this will be his

toughest challenge yet. But for Mick the caffe lattes

are about to become genuine. The maglia rosa

or pink jersey is the clue. He's set the ride the route

of the Giro D'italia at the age of 78 to raise money

for four charities. You realise that people out there

are not having a nice life and they might not have a long life. So I

feel that if I can do something to help less fortunate, then I've

achieved something, problem you more than I've ever achieved on the bike.

But I use the bike a tool. Mick's from Bagington near Coventry

and has been cycling 350 miles a week through rural

Warwickshire for his training. Mick's an ex professional

with 78 British titles to his name. In 2005 he rode the route

of the Tour De France But the 3,400km of

the Giro will be harder still. It's tough. At my age, it's almost

impossible. I'm taking on a challenge which is huge.

Everyone at the Pavilions cafe in Lighthorne

It's very impressive. He's always the first in. What probably the

oldest in the bunch but he's always the first one. Is this the last big

challenge for you? My Mrs says yes but my heart at the moment says no.

Mick will ride two days in front of the race itself.

When was the last time you saw one of these?

The number of watervoles are in sharp decline,

so a project's under way to try and change that.

As many as 90 per cent have been wiped out since its main predator,

the American Mink, was released into the wild in the 1950s.

But now work's under way to try and save them -

In North Warwickshire the watervole population like many

other places in the UK, has all but disappeared.

They're falling prey to the American Mink

and their plight made worse by human creations like this steel canal

embankment which can trap voles in the water.

But thanks to the work of volunteers the environment is being made safer.

The Warwickshire wildlife trust are creating what they describe as

Volmink tells along this stage of the canal. They allow the voles to

climb out of the water and avoid the steel barrier.

There's already evidence the watervoles are making use

of the new facilities and similar projects previously

I thought ten years ago that I would witness the extinction of water

voles in Warwickshire. What happened is really nothing short of a

miracle. And there's more good

news for the watervoles, it seems the American mink itself

is now subject to it's own predator, There is anecdotal evidence that

with the resurgence of otters after banning pesticides in the 80s and

90s, with otters coming back into pretty much all watercourses in

Warwickshire, they out, beat the mink. We are seeing less mink

around. This is potentially because of this rise in to numbers.

The battle for the wilds has nearly cost Watervoles

their existence in the UK, but surveys have confirmed

they're on the increase in parts of Warwickshire,

and with the help of more volunteers t's hoped the motels can be

Kevin Reide, BBC Midlands Today, Warwickshire.

The hat is off, is that a good sign? It is. Snow one minute, sunshine the

next. The hat was to stop my hair flopping around.

out of the sky today - the clouds were threatening

over in Shropshire Whereas some parts enjoyed

But there were plenty of showers in between with reports of snow

storms and more than just a dusting of it.

I'm please to the say that the temperatures will begin

to pick up after tomorrow although the picture's

still fairly unsettled from the pressure chart you can see

we're currently caught in between high pressure

to the west and low to the east which is directing our winds

in from a sheer northerly direction blasting in from the Arctic -

and as we head into tonight - those showers continue to rattle

on until they slowly begin to die out through the second half

of the night when clearer skies begin to develop across western

parts and temperatures tumble down to zero -

but across Eastern parts at least - a different day tomorrow in that

you'll be waking up to showers - quite a few of them -

Sunnier and slightly drier further west.

And temperatures - still no great shakes

much drier tomorrow night but with a warm front arriving

from the north through the course of Thursday - the temperatures

will slowly recover but duller conditions with some

That's all for now. I'll be back with the late news at 10:30pm. Have

a good evening. Goodbye. Our crack team of experts

use pioneering research ..to how to help your pet

lose weight. but I was wondering if maybe you

might fancy a drink?