26/01/2017 Midlands Today

Here on BBC One it's time for the news where you are.

Families of the victims of the Birmingham pub bombs have

said they're cautiously optimistic after receiving news they will be

able to apply for legal aid for new inquests.

The Government today announced it was changing the law.

The families didn't qualify automatically for funding

because the legal firm some are using is based

21 people died in the bombings in 1974.

1974 is a year that Birmingham will never forget.

The deaths of 21 people in crowded Birmingham pubs have

left their scars on the hundreds who were injured and

For more than four decades they've campaigned for answers and justice.

Although it was ruled that inquests into the deaths

could be reopened last year, the Northern Ireland-based lawyers

representing the families have worked for free,

barred from claiming legal aid here on the mainland.

Today, though, a significant change in the law...

Julie Hambleton, who's sister Maxine was killed in the bombings,

was personally called by the Minister today.

He wanted me to be the first to hear the news that he is changing

the law because we fall into an unprecedented territory

in terms of how we fall outside the legal aid terms and conditions,

and as such, he wanted to change the law so that we could apply

for the same legal aid as anybody else.

But there is nothing to celebrate because you cannot celebrate

Bill Craig lost his brother James in the November bombings.

Tonight he was relieved but still cautious about

As long as nothing else is going to follow.

Because we got the inquest resumed and then we had the stumbling

Now we've got the money, is there something else

This month the victims of the pub bombings were granted

Later this year their inquests will be reopened in yet another

A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder,

after a man was stabbed to death on a bus.

Leon Barrett-Hazle, who was 36, and from Smethwick, was travelling

on the top deck of the 11A in Handsworth on Monday night

Kieran Gillespie, of Wellesbourne Road in Handsworth, will appear

Fire crews have spent the day at a major fire at a former paper

At its height, 100 firefighters were called to the blaze

at Wobaston Road in Fordhouses after it started in the early

Crews have been working to protect neighbouring businesses and homes

from the flames and chemicals stored at the site.

A gang who groomed and raped teenage girls in Coventry have been jailed

The judge said the five men had used social media to exploit

Marcus Woolcock and Zahid Chaudhary were told they would be expected

to serve half of their respective sentences before being

Chaudhary, Waqaar Khan, Kadeem Bourne and Kenan Kelly

were told they would also be placed on the sex offenders'

A mother from Warwickshire's campaigning for cannabis oil

to be made available for her five-year-old son.

Hannah Deacon says an animal wouldn't be allowed to suffer

the way Alfie does, with his severe epileptic seizures.

And while the oil isn't legal here, it is used for medicinal

Five-year-old Alfie Dingley in Warwick Hospital

He is about to experience a mild seizure.

He had 16 seizures in a row, which we had to treat,

Alfie's mum, Hannah, who is from Kenilworth,

Every seven to ten days, Alfie will experience

It is because he has a very rare form of epilepsy, called PCDH19.

When he comes out of it, he is hysterical, crying,

he must have a headache, he's frightened, he's confused,

he can't talk properly because obviously his

When Alfie was eight months old, he very nearly did not pull through.

Since then, Alfie's been prescribed a series of drugs,

He is being pumped full of drugs all the time that don't work,

he is being held down against his will for these

You wouldn't allow an animal to go through what he goes through,

Which is why she is now campaigning for cannabis oil,

which has helped children like Alfie in other countries, to be

If all these countries recognise this cannabis herb has this

extraordinary medicinal value, surely we should move,

But for people like the Deacons, it cannot be too soon.

But the Conservative government is still saying it has no plans

It argues that cannabis damages mental and physical health.

Epilepsy is a very dangerous, dangerous illness that can kill you,

and I have to have the right to use this for my son.

In two weeks, she has got 1,500 signatures on a petition,

which she plans to hand into the Government later this year.

The luxury car-maker, Jaguar Land Rover, has

reported a significant increase in production.

JLR made 544,000 vehicles in 2016, an increase of 11%, helping

to safeguard the jobs of the 20,000 staff employed by the firm

It means the company remains the largest car

manufacturer in the UK for the second year running.

Labour has named its candidate to fight the Stoke-on-Trent Central

Gareth Snell, who is currently a councillor

in Newcastle-under-Lyme, kicked off his campaign

He's one of six candidates to declare they will fight

for the seat vacated by Labour's Tristram Hunt.

Green Party councillors have asked Herefordshire Council to take urgent

action to tackle pollution levels in the Upper Lugg river,

where they claim average levels of phosphates are now seven times

the limits set by the Environment Agency - damaging tourism

The RAF in Shropshire says its pilots fear it's only

a matter of time before one of their aircraft hits a drone.

They're so concerned, they're now asking the public

to contact them if they see any of the remote-controlled aircraft

being flown in the area, in an effort to avoid

Here's our special correspondent, Peter Wilson.

They have been flying here for 100 years.

There's not much that scares these men and women,

but the home of the Defence Helicopter Flying School has

We operate at heights below 500 feet, which is exactly where drone

operators will be flying their toys, and it is only a matter of time,

Drones, remote-controlled aircraft, can cost as little as ?50.

30,000 were sold last Christmas by just one UK retailer.

The helicopter crews in Shropshire have increasingly

had to dodge the drones as they practise their

We have had reported sightings in various parts of Shropshire,

over Nesscliffe Training Area and over Telford.

And, you know, drones are only supposed to be flown up to 400 feet.

These viewings have been spotted up to 1800, 2000 feet.

It is not only airfields that have seen near misses

and increasing drone activity, prisons too, as criminals

use the devices to fly drugs into UK jails.

The RAF has grave concerns about such flights,

if they were to be operating over Her Majesty's

Right opposite the main entrance to the prison is an airfield,

Turnhill, and the helicopter relief landing ground.

So concerned are the RAF about drones that they are saying

to people living in Shropshire, if you see a drone

More than 50 flights a day take off from Shawbury.

The helicopter crews pray that they will not be the first

Peter Wilson, BBC Midlands Today, Shropshire.

A Black Country cartoonist, who spent more than 20 years drawing

Dan and Korky the Cat for the Dandy Comic,

is to be honoured with a blue plaque at his old school.

Charles Grigg lived in Langley in Oldbury,

and he died at the age of 97 in 2013.

The plaque will be unveiled at Rood End Primary School in May

To have a permanent memorial and it has got Desperate Dan on one side

and Korky the Cat on the other and a blur about Dad in the middle,

it is great, it's really, really touching that they had agreed

to have it at school which is kind of gone full circle, anyway.

Rebecca is here with the weather - are we in for another cold night?

I am afraid so, Mary. Things are steadily starting to change but

today was definitely a winter wonderland out there. For some,

temperatures were around about freezing, the best we did was one

Celsius, for others, it has been a great day with plenty of cloud. As

the head through the night we will start to see the cloud cleaving to

the north, behind that we will be left with clear spells. They could

get some hill fog developing. It will be a very chilly night.

Once again, temperatures down to minus three degrees, a touch of

Frost and sunspots. Tomorrow starts called. Low pressure begins to bite

is that high pressure out of the way. The weather is changing and

that will introduce milder conditions but also rain. A very

cold start tomorrow and we will have freezing fog lingering and sunspots.

The cloud thickens. Temperatures during the day, between three and

six Celsius. We are finally making it above freezing. As we head into

the weekend, more rain to come but temperatures returning to something

perhaps a little more average for the time of year.

weekend. It's swings and roundabouts, higher temperatures but

some rain as well. Good evening. It's been dry so far

this January but as it draws to a close it looks like we will see some

rain at last. It's been an interesting today a bitterly cold in

Norfolk, way we kept the grey cloud all day and the grey