08/01/2017 Midlands Today

200 emergency staff staged a simulated siege at the RSC

The scenario, where gunmen started shooting inside,

was being used to test the skills of the emergency services

It was a drama like none seen before at the RSC Theatre in Stratford -

fire crews rescuing fleeing hostages from the roof as part

The scenario, gunmen opening fire inside.

While this is not a counterterrorist exercise, a number of the resources

and the skill sets being used would be transferable in the highly

unlikely event that an incident like that should occur.

90 people were killed at the Bataclan in Paris 14 months ago.

Mercifully, there have been no such attacks on theatres since,

but Friday's shootings at Fort Lauderdale airport serve

as a reminder that public places are vulnerable.

This exercise has not only benefited the police, fire

and ambulance services, it has allowed the RSC

Of course, you know everything is entirely made up and everything

It gets increasingly tense and you find yourself really getting

involved with it as though it is for real.

Extra security measures at this year's German Christmas market

in Birmingham show how seriously public safety is taken

It is hoped today's exercise, three months in the planning,

will leave the emergency services even better prepared

West Midlands Police have discovered a cannabis factory

The property in the Handsworth area of the city was cleared and secured

The finals of Europe's largest Elvis Championships are taking place

Tribute acts of the King of Rock and Roll have spent the last three

days battling it out for the coveted title.

Sian Grzeszczyk has been to watch them.

Her report does contain flash photography.

# Caught in a trap, I can't walk out...

They're all shook up for the European Elvis Championships,

which are held in Birmingham every year, and today is a special one -

it would have been the King's 82nd birthday.

So what would he have made of all of this?

I think he'd have found it quite amusing.

I think he'd just have enjoyed the fact that we're

This house today, Elvis is in the whole room.

My first cassette tape was Elvis, so his music captured me.

Nearly 100 people have performed at the contest and at 11:30 tonight,

A little less conversation, because it's time for

Norweigan Elvis to take to the stage.

# Yet when I face that chilling hand of death

The audience clearly can't help falling in love.

Let's have a look at the weather forecast now.

Plenty of cloud around today and mild temperatures and as we move

through this evening and overnight, it's looking much the same -

plenty of cloud around, thickening up just to be just

the odd spot of rain and drizzle and we could see mist

Temperatures a minimum between five and seven Celsius.

We start tomorrow with plenty of cloud before this band of rain

It could contain heavy bursts and the breeze will pick up.

Behind it, clear skies and slightly cooler, temperatures,

tomorrow a maximum of nine or 10 Celsius.

I'll leave you with the outlook - quite unsettled through the week,

cooler and windier by the time we get to the weekend.

On tomorrow's programme, we're reporting on a rare collection

of more than 200 well-preserved Hollywood film posters.

They are expected to fetch thousands when they're auctioned later this

Join us for that the rest of the day's news just before 6:30.

Good evening. Rain around for all of us over the next 24-hour. Then it

will turn colder later on this week. There will be frost and some snow

around. I must stress this cold spell will be nothing out of the

ordinary and nothing in comparison to the severe cold that other parts

of Europe have experienced over the last few days. A wet start today for

Northern Ireland and Scotland. Wet and windy. The rain will head its

way southwards and eastwards across the UK during the course of the day.

Turning up across the southern and eastern areas. Not a nice end to the

day. Heavy bursts of rain in the south-east and east Anglia in the

afternoon that this is three o'clock. Still relatively mild.

Further north and west it will brighten up but it will turn

chillier as well. Some school a shower