mid—bedfordshire next week, but first alex forsyth reports from tamworth. i like it. a training session for the potential footballers of the future on a tuesday evening in tamworth. these are some of the dosthill colts�* youngest members, but it's their parents�* and coaches�* attention that some political players are vying for as they try to win votes. what would you like to hear from your next mp, the person that wants to represent tamworth? it's the things that matter, like safety and like i say, the car crime and burglaries and things and just the thefts on the street. it's quite scary. it's really scary. politicians, they say it all and then when they're in power, they don't always deliver. so it's hard that is obviously the ambition and that is the hope. but it's a waiting game really, i think. yeah. wait and see, wait and hope for the best. people living in and around the midlands market town of tamworth will soon choose a new mp, another by—election that will be closely watched for signs of how the political parties are faring. what are the issues that you think matter in this by—election election? 0h, there's so many. pensions, everything's going up. cost of living. thought much about the by election? hsz, what a shambles. just an absolute shambles. what a waste of money. potholes. top of all, the potholes. the market's dropping off. everything in the town - centre seems to be dying. i think they ought to do something about that, i to be honest with you. there are several candidates standing here, but the crucial battle is between the conservatives and labour. last time, the tories won by almost 20,000 votes. the result this time will be seen as an important measure of the public mood ahead of the next general election. 0n the outskirts of town, the heart of tamworth is a charity working to support people who live nearby. it has a community pantry offering help with groceries and hosts a range of other activities. there's even a cafe. catherine, who's chair of trustees, knows the concerns of people here well. i think people are just really struggling, particularly those who have seen big increases in their rent or mortgage payments. families, but also older people. the number of older people that use our community pantry is staggering, and lots of people are just finding that their budget doesn't stretch. so, yeah, whoever is elected, they've got a big task ahead of them. that task will fall to whoever can first convince voters here that they've got the answers. alex forsyth, bbc news, in tamworth. you can find a list of all the candidates standing in tamworth on the bbc news website. a metropolitan police officer has defended her team after they carried out a stop and search on british sprinter bianca williams and her partner ricardo dos santos three years ago in west london. acting police sergeant rachel simpson told a misconduct hearing today that she and her colleagues suspected their car was involved in gang activity and had concerns it could contain weapons. nothing was found. all five officers deny any wrongdoing. acting sergeant simpson was the most senior officer at the time and had been supervising the team of officers who stopped and searched the two athletes in the maida vale area of west london injuly 2020. when asked what happened that day, she said that she and her colleagues suspected their car was involved in gang activity and it could contain weapons. in gang activity and it no weapons or drugs were found, and neither ms williams or mr dos santos were arrested. video of the search went viral. you could hear their baby son crying in the back as they were handcuffed and detained for 45 minutes. now she and the former police constables, they're accused of gross misconduct. they all deny any wrongdoing. and the hearing is expected to last until the end of this month. severn trent which supplies water across the west country has announced a big programme to clean up its rivers and improve its supply. the company has been widely criticised for pumping untreated sewage into the river severn, polluting the water. the new work will cost nearly £13—billion, and will mean rising bills for customers. 0ur correspondent dave harvey has been to the banks of the severn this morning. they have pumped sewage in two seven catchment area and today it was a notable cost 12.9 billion pounds. they want customers to pay for it. we do not enter into a they want customers to pay for it. we do not enter into— they want customers to pay for it. we do not enter into a bill increase liuhtl and we do not enter into a bill increase lightly and we _ we do not enter into a bill increase lightly and we have _ we do not enter into a bill increase lightly and we have the _ we do not enter into a bill increase lightly and we have the second - lightly and we have the second lowest bill in the land now and in a water perspective will be in 2030 again. because our bills starts a small percentage larger than actual physical amount. small percentage larger than actual physicalamount. for small percentage larger than actual physical amount-— physical amount. for that you get new systems _ physical amount. for that you get new systems all _ physical amount. for that you get new systems all designed - physical amount. for that you get new systems all designed to - physical amount. for that you get | new systems all designed to clean physical amount. for that you get - new systems all designed to clean up this fabulous river. but will it do the trick? is it enough? i have been chatting to someone chatting to get the river severn cleaned up for more than ten years. it the river severn cleaned up for more than ten years— than ten years. it should never have ha--ened than ten years. it should never have happened in — than ten years. it should never have happened in the _ than ten years. it should never have happened in the first _ than ten years. it should never have happened in the first place - than ten years. it should never have happened in the first place and - than ten years. it should never have happened in the first place and i'm i happened in the first place and i'm concerned it is too late. the river needsit concerned it is too late. the river needs it now and i know the plan is looking at 2025 so we have another two years of sticking it in there before somebody says they will take it out. we need it now. do it no, that's what we need. if it out. we need it now. do it no, that's what we need.— that's what we need. if the regulator _ that's what we need. if the regulator approves - that's what we need. if the regulator approves the - that's what we need. if the i regulator approves the plans that's what we need. if the - regulator approves the plans they will start work on a couple of years. ——now. one of pop's biggest superstars launches her world tour in london this weekend, and for the first time ever, madonna's only playing her greatest hits. the shows were supposed to kick off in canada over the summer, but the star had to spend several days in intensive care after being rushed to hospital with a serious bacterial infection. our music correspondent mark savage caught up with her long—time musical director to find out some of the tour�*s secrets. a0 yea rs. 13 number—one singles. 72 top a0 hits. how on earth do you cram all of that into a two—hour concert? so, that is a big challenge. how do you take so many hits, so many, number ones, so, so many significant songs, you know, songs that maybe even if they weren't one of the biggest hits have become a favourite or a cultural sort of memory. and the answer is you try and pick all the stuff that serves the story best. stuart says the show will have a documentary aspect, telling madonna's story through her music. you know, everything from, ithink, being a young woman in new york, sort of learning what the scene was there and her interaction with it through all the way through motherhood, spiritual awakenings, the ups and downs. from these humble beginnings in new york, madonna has redefined how live music is presented. stuart says this tour will be no different. you know, probably for the first time, there's not a band in the traditional sense. there are a lot of musicians that perform at different parts of the show. what we realize is, is that the original recordings, in a lot of senses, are our stars of the show. madonna. yeah. i dare you to do a world tour and play your greatest hits. four decades. that's a lot of songs. it's a lot of songs. you think people would come to that show? this is how madonna announced the tour back injanuary. tickets sold out in minutes. yeah. rehearsals started in april. day one. hell week. but injune, madonna was rushed to hospital with a serious bacterial infection. the opening of the tour was postponed by three months. madonna has very high expectations of how much hard work people will put into something. it's very uncompromising in that sense. but i think what you have to be clear on is, is that she's as hard on herself as well. the person that is going to take the stage and perform this looks incredible, sounds incredible, performs incredible as well. the proof will come with the opening show in london on saturday night, with the tour as a whole projected to make more than £100 million. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. hello there. a number of places in the north of the uk had their first frost of the season this morning and it is a sign of things to come. some of the coldest weather was found across parts of northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england. lows of minus one or minus two celsius. compare that with a very different feel in the south of england and the channel islands, 16 or 17 degrees, thanks to a band of cloud and some splashes of rain. saw some quite heavy bursts of rain actually towards the south—east corner. more rain now pushing in from the south—west. that will affect the south—west of england later in the day. but for northern england, northern ireland and scotland, some sunny spells, some showers, too, particularly in the north—west of scotland. 11 degrees for stornoway and a cooler day across many parts of england and wales, 15 to 17 degrees. through this evening and tonight it will turn very wet indeed across many parts of england and wales. could be enough rain to give some issues with flooding. turning windy as well. another band of cloud and patchy rain pushing southwards across scotland and northern ireland. not as cold as it was last night here, still very mild down towards the south. now, through tomorrow, this band of rain across parts of northern england into wales. ahead of that, a mix of sunny spells, but some sporadic outbreaks of heavy and possibly thundery rain. sunshine and showers for scotland and northern ireland. turning very windy in the far north and also actually quite windy across parts of wales and the southern half of england. temperature—wise, a resurgence of something warmer briefly in the south—east corner, 20 degrees. but as we move through friday night, turns really windy in northern scotland. gales are likely. but it's the wind direction that's going to bring a very different feel for the weekend, a north or north—westerly wind starts to set in. and so things are going to feel significantly colder. in fact, some of the showers will turn wintry across the north of the uk, particularly in northern scotland. by the end of saturday we could see snow down to 200 or 300 metres above sea level and even further south, temperatures far lower than they have been, 13 or 1a degrees. some of us will see a frost on saturday night. sunday brings a lot of dry weather, some spells of sunshine, some showery rain in the north of scotland. this mainly will be rain. but a chilly feel. highs of eight to 13 degrees. live from london, this is bbc news. us secretary of state antony blinken offers his unending support to israel during a visit to tel aviv. the message i bring to israel is this, you may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as america exists, you will never, ever have too. this long as america exists, you will never, ever have too.— long as america exists, you will never, ever have too. this is the scene live _ never, ever have too. this is the scene live in _ never, ever have too. this is the scene live in gaza _ never, ever have too. this is the scene live in gaza where - never, ever have too. this is the scene live in gaza where more . never, ever have too. this is the i scene live in gaza where more than 1300 people have been killed and a humanitarian situation is worsening. the uk government has announced repatriation flights from tel aviv in reaction to the war in israel. hello. welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction.