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MOTORWAY REOPENS AFTER SPILL A stretch of the M42 in Birmingham which was closed overnight after a lorry overturned, spilling a hazardous chemical, has reopened police said. Both carriageways were closed after the accident between junctions five and six near the National Exhibition Centre. The lorry driver was badly hurt and 10 firefighters were treated in hospital after complaining of feeling unwell. TRIO FACING TERROR CHARGES Three men from the West Midlands are reappearing in court charged with receiving training or instruction in the making of firearms and explosives. Usman Choudhary and Umar Ijaz, both from Dudley, and Madasser Al Hussan, of Birmingham, are all due to appear at Halesowen Magistrates' Court. The three men are facing the charges under the Terrorism Act. AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT PLAN BACKED Prosperity and jobs in the West Midlands depend on support for the expansion of Birmingham International Airport, business leaders have said. Firms are behind runway development if it means economic and convenient flights to Europe and the US, they say. Many added business could suffer if there is not an airport in the region giving easy access to global markets. TOLL ROAD FULLY OPERATIONAL Britain's first toll motorway has become fully operational in Birmingham, its operators have announced. Midland Expressway Ltd says the M6 Toll, which opened to traffic on local roads on Tuesday, has now been linked up to the M6 north of Birmingham. A spokesman said that the 27-mile route is now fully integrated into the national road network. WORKER TIED UP AMID ROBBERY A male post office worker was tied up during an armed robbery at a branch near Redditch, police said. A police spokesman said the offender produced what was believed to be a firearm while robbing the post office at Bear Hill, Alvechurch. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact West Mercia Police on 08457 444 888. MP SLAMS ARMY CUTBACKS An MP from Lichfield has expressed fears for the future of the Staffordshire Regiment amid proposals to cut the size of the armed forces. Tory Michael Fabricant has slammed a Government White Paper on the future of the armed services as "madness". He said: "We are currently undermanned in the armed forces and should increase numbers given the world situation." MAN KILLED NEAR M6 TOLL A man has been killed in a collision on a road running parallel to the new M6 Toll in Staffordshire, police said. The victim, who has not been identified but was aged in his 30s, was driving along the A460 near Cannock when he was in collision with a Ford Galaxy. The occupants of the Ford, a married couple from Hednesford, sustained minor injuries in the accident. COUNCIL TENANTS TO HAVE SAY Tenants of council houses in Stafford are being asked whether the properties should be transferred to a housing association. Residents of 6,100 properties will be balloted on the possibility of an association taking over responsibility for daily repairs and management. A council spokesman said: "Only the tenants can make the final decision." COUNTERFEIT SOFTWARE SEIZED Trading Standards officers have seized counterfeit computer software at a trade fair in a Shrewsbury hotel estimated to be worth £50,000. A spokesman said items found include copies of computer games such as EA Sports Rugby 2004 and Finding Nemo. He added: "A man from West Yorkshire has been interviewed at the site and investigations are continuing." UNIVERSITY EVALUATES HATE CRIME The University of Central England is seeking the views of lesbians and gays during evaluation of a crime reduction project set up to tackle hate crime. Professor David Wilson from the university is leading the review of the Pink Shield Project. He said: "It is clear that the lesbian and gay communities face a huge number of specific crime issues." AIRPORT PLANS TO BE UNVEILED The Government is set to end years of uncertainty about airport expansion by publishing an aviation White Paper -including its plans for Birmingham. Under the plans Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is expected to announce the creation of a new runway at the rapidly growing airport. However, it is thought he will rule out building a new airport near Coventry. CENTRE COULD CREATE 10,000 JOBS A new £4.5m community centre is to be built in the Black Country, creating more than 30 jobs and learning opportunities for hundreds of people. The Netherton Community Regeneration Centre in Dudley will also place more than 200 workers in jobs at retail sites such as the Merry Hill Centre. The project could create up to 10,000 vacancies over the next five years. PROBE INTO SERVICE STATION FIRE An investigation is under way into the cause of a fire which destroyed five HGVs parked at Keele services on the M6 and shut the northbound section. Staffordshire Police said the service area on the northbound carriageway was evacuated after the blaze broke out. More than 30 firefighters were called to the scene and the fire service said the cause is "as yet unexplained". FINES PLAN FOR DRUNKEN YOBS Drunken yobs who cause havoc in Staffordshire over the festive season are to be hit with on-the-spot fines. Staffordshire Police has become one of just five forces to introduce Penalty Notices for Disorder. Officers hope that fines of up to £80 for minor crimes ranging from being drunk and disorderly to threatening behaviour will cut down on paperwork. TRIO REMANDED ON TERROR CHARGES Three West Midlands men charged under the Terrorism Act have been remanded in custody by Halesowen magistrates. Usman Choudhary and Umar Ijaz, both from Dudley, and Madasser Al Hussan, of Birmingham, all face charges relating to firearms and explosive materials. The three men, along with a Luton man, were remanded to appear at a committal hearing on February 10 next year. DRIVER FLEES AFTER PRAM CRASH A young boy escaped unhurt when a taxi crashed into his pram outside a Coventry school before the driver fled. West Midlands Police said the 22-month-old boy had been struck by the yellow Hackney-style cab as it ploughed into a wall near Bablake School. The driver is described as an Asian man in his 40s. He had a black female passenger in his car at the time. OZZY BREATHES INDEPENDENTLY The family of Birmingham-born rocker Ozzy Osbourne is enjoying a double celebration after he began breathing unaided a week after a quad bike crash. The Black Sabbath star has been able to chat to his wife Sharon at the Slough hospital where he has been treated since the crash in Buckinghamshire. It comes after he topped the charts with a duet with his daughter Kelly. ANTI-SOCIAL NEIGHBOUR JAILED A Birmingham resident has been sent to prison for his continued anti-social behaviour, the city council has said. Thomas White, 57, from Nechells, was given a three-month suspended sentence in November for making his neighbours' lives hell with late-night parties. After eight more offences, including swearing and fighting, a Crown Court judge has activated the sentence. KNIFEMAN ROBS WOMAN AT HOME A 54-year-old woman has been robbed at knifepoint by a teenage intruder who burst into her Black Country home. The victim answered a knock at her door in Bilston and was forced to hand over £2,000, West Midlands Police said. The offender is described as white, aged 19, with "piercing" blue eyes, 6ft 2in, and slim. He was wearing a blue hooded top and blue tracksuit bottoms. GANG STEALS CHRISTMAS SHOPPING Two friends have been robbed of their Christmas shopping at knifepoint by a gang in Coventry city centre. The men - a 26-year-old from Rugby and a 23-year-old from Leamington Spa -were threatened after four black men in their late 20s grabbed their bags. Police said the stolen goods included a digital camcorder, a watch and some jewellery. LEADERS WELCOME EXPANSION The expansion of Birmingham Airport and the launch of a new budget airline at Coventry are major opportunities for firms in Solihull, say business chiefs. Solihull Chamber of Commerce believes the announcements are good news for companies located between the sites. A second runway will be built by 2016 at Birmingham - while operator Thomson will fly to 10 destinations from March. SCHOOLS SUFFER IN LEAGUE TABLES Two Birmingham schools have been ranked at the bottom of league tables based on results in tests for 14-year-olds. St Alban's C of E School is bottom of the Key Stage 3 table, with only 12% of pupils reaching targets in English, 17% in maths and 22% in science. St Paul's Community Foundation School came second bottom in that table and also the league for "added value". M-WAY REPAIRS COMPLETED ON TIME Maintenance work along a stretch of the M6 in Warwickshire has been completed on time, the Highways Agency said. Resurfacing work on the northbound carriageway between junctions 2 and 3 and improvements to drainage, fencing and lighting have been carried out. A spokesman said the work had been done with minimal disruption and the public will not be inconvenienced any further. JEALOUS LOVER JAILED FOR MURDER A gun enthusiast who murdered his ex-girlfriend's new lover in a drive-by shooting outside a Wolverhampton pub has been jailed for life. Michael Gwilliam, 43, gunned down Mark Richards in a jealous rage outside the Brewers Droop, Willenhall, in September 2001 before fleeing to Belgium. Gwilliam, who had pleaded guilty, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. RUGBY MATCH PART OF POLICE PUSH India's national rugby union team is taking on Coventry's National Division One side as part of a police recruitment drive. Players are being joined by West Midlands Police, who are using the event to encourage applications from ethnic minority communities. The Indian squad, with Bollywood actor Rahul Bose, are starting a UK tour. LANDLORDS GIVEN CURFEW ORDERS Private landlords who illegally evicted a tenant have been given curfew orders by magistrates in Birmingham, a city council spokesman said. Sabir Sacranie and his younger brother Feissal Mohamed Sacranie pleaded guilty to unlawfully evicting Abubakar Kumshe. Kushme, a 26-year-old student, returned home in the early hours to find his possessions in the front garden. TRUCK DRIVERS RESCUED FROM FIRE Two lorry drivers who were asleep when fire swept through their vehicles at a Staffordshire service station were saved by fellow motorists, police said. The blaze destroyed seven HGVs parked next to each other at Keele services on the northbound M6. The drivers, along with five others, escaped unhurt. Police are probing the cause of the fire. PRISONER VOTING BAN 'WRONG' A prisoner serving a life sentence in a Warwickshire jail has gone to the European Court of Human Rights because he is not allowed to vote. John Hirst, 53, who has served 20 years for manslaughter at Rye Hill Prison, says that barring prisoners from voting breaches their rights. European judges will rule on the case next year. STARS GET FREEDOM OF TOWN The World Cup-winning England rugby squad members are to receive the Freedom of the Borough of Rugby. The game was started at Rugby School in 1823 when schoolboy William Webb Ellis, after whom the World Cup trophy is named, ran with the ball in his hands. A council spokesman said: "Rugby is set to have a day to remember, celebrating the win back in the game's home." BIRMINGHAM FINALIST URGES OTHER ARTISTS TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE Two Brummies are encouraging other artists from their home city to enter this year's PizzaExpress Prospects - a national contemporary drawing prize - after having their own work chosen for the finalist exhibition. After the pair's joint work was selected as one of the 45 finalists out of the 1,000 submissions entered into Prospects, Darren Joyce and Justin Wiggin were invited to show their sound installation at the PizzaExpress Prospects finalists' exhibition at The Old Truman Brewery in London, E1. The artists' work, entitled She Never Sleeps was the only pure audio piece in the show. From King's Heath, Darren says the experience of being a finalist has helped the pair progress their career and he urges other emerging and established artists to follow their example and enter Prospects 2004. Darren said: "It was a real buzz for us as this was the first time we had got one of our audio pieces into an exhibition of artists' work. It is useful as we consider ourselves artists despite creating by using sound alone. We feel like we have broken some boundaries and it underlines that people are taking our work seriously. We shall be entering Prospects again this year." Artists from across the UK are being given the opportunity to win national recognition and a £10,000 award by entering PizzaExpress Prospects 2004. Now in its fifth year, PizzaExpress Prospects has gained a reputation as one of the leading awards of its kind in the contemporary art world. Continuing to support both established and up-and-coming artists, the premise of PizzaExpress Prospects is to promote drawing in its broadest definition. This year, the overall winner will be presented with an award of £10,000, while the selection panel will also be searching for the most promising art student who will receive £2,000. The submissions will be judged by leading figures of British art including broadcaster and art historian Tim Marlow who will chair the selection panel. PizzaExpress' managing director David Sykes said: "Each year the number of artists entering PizzaExpress Prospects increases. Prospects provides a wonderful opportunity for emerging and established artists to compete on equal terms and have their work viewed by leading figures in the art world. It also gives our customers the chance to enjoy the best of British contemporary art." The closing date for this year's prize is February 29th, 2004. Entry details for PizzaExpress Prospects 2004 can be obtained by visiting the website at www.pizzaexpress.com/prospects or writing to PizzaExpress Prospects, QBO Bell Pottinger, 5th Floor, Holborn Gate, 26 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A 1BP or by calling 020 7861 2424. SADDAM SNUB BOY 'DELIGHTED' A boy from Worcester who snubbed Saddam Hussein's attempts to use him as a propaganda pawn has told of his delight at the tyrant's capture. Stuart Lockwood was five when in the run-up to the first Gulf War he refused to sit on Saddam's knee for a photo. Now 18, he told a newspaper: "I was amazed he was still in Iraq and alive. I thought he would never be found." £1m FAKE CDs FOUND AT BOOT SALE More than £1m worth of counterfeit DVDs and CDs have been seized in Cannock, Staffordshire Police said. The recovery of more than 70,000 illegal discs was made over two weekends at a car boot sale. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association said a blow has been struck against criminals and terrorists who sell counterfeit goods. 10 COUNCILS GET GOOD ASSESSMENT The Government has announced 10 out of 14 councils in the West Midlands have been rated excellent, good or fair. The Audit Commission puts Shropshire County Council in the top 10 most improved authorities, and categorised Telford & Wrekin Council as excellent. Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said real improvements have been made in local public services. FOUR QUIZZED OVER PUB MURDER Four men are being questioned by police after being arrested over the murder of a pub landlord from Walsall. An 18-year-old from Staffordshire and three men from Bloxwich - two aged 24 and one 37 - are being held. Michael Hughes, 59, was found dead from head injuries in his living quarters at the Royal Oak in Pelsall on April 27, and the pub's safe had been stolen. PUBLIC TRANSPORT DEAL FOR CITY National Express has become the first public transport operator in Coventry to create a partnership with the city council and transport authority Centro. The deal will allow greater integration of services and more benefits for passengers, National Express said. The company said its long-distance coach division has recently undergone a rebranding to kick-start growth. CAR OWNERS WARNED OVER THEFTS Car owners in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire are being warned to take precautions against a growing number of car key burglaries. West Mercia Constabulary said 156 offences had been reported since April, in which thieves had broken into a house, stolen car keys and driven off. Spokesman Mark Hambling said thieves are increasingly using this method. HANGING DEATH RULED ACCIDENTAL An 11-year-old boy from Solihull accidentally hanged himself after he was told off, an inquest has ruled. Coroner Aidan Cotter did not believe Tom Keavy meant to take his life but may have wanted to scare his family, Birmingham Coroner's Court heard. Tom died after asphyxiating himself at his Dorridge home. A verdict of accidental death was recorded. JOBLESS FIGURE RISES BY 5,000 The jobless figure for the West Midlands rose by 5,000 in the three months August to October, compared with the previous three months. The number of people out of work stood at 153,000, according to the latest official figures. The unemployment rate was 5.9%. The number of people out of work nationally stood at 1,470,000. SCHOOL TABLES DAMAGING: HEAD The headteacher of a Birmingham school branded the worst in England because of exam results achieved by 14-year-olds has condemned the use of league tables. David Gould, head of St Alban's Church of England School in Highgate, said the Key Stage 3 test tables are damaging. Mr Gould said only a quarter of pupils arrive from primary having reached the standards expected of 11-year-olds. AIRPORT 'WILL BE GATEWAY' Wolverhampton Airport will become the gateway to the West Midlands within years, according to its chairman. Graham Hampson Silk said he is delighted with the aviation White Paper published by the Government giving the go-ahead for the airport's development. Mr Silk said he will be discussing the site's future with planning bodies, councils and businesses. LAND PURCHASED FOR NEW JOBS Surplus land at the MG Rover site in Birmingham has been snapped up by the Regional Development Agency as part of its plans to create a technology belt. It is sited along the A38, running from the city into Worcestershire. Advantage West Midlands, which plans to spend £10.6m to encourage technology jobs, bought land in Longbridge with a view to linking it to a nearby site. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AT A PRICE Nearly 300,000 West Midlands employees will be required by bosses to take Christmas Day off with no holiday pay, union figures have revealed. The TUC said a further 65,000 people in the region will work that day with no guarantee of extra pay. Christine Wood, of the Midlands TUC, said: "It's about time people got paid more for working over the holidays." RUNWAY 'MAY MEAN M42 EXPANSION' The creation of a second runway at Birmingham International Airport could lead to a major expansion of the M42, environmental campaigners have claimed. Friends of the Earth claim the Government's aviation White Paper shows "explicit support" for widening the motorway between junctions 3 and 7. They claim this could threaten the precious green belt around the city. PENSIONER RUN OVER BY OWN CAR A pensioner is recovering in hospital after she was accidentally run over by her own car in Burntwood. The 71-year-old woman was in the car park of Burntwood Memorial Institute when she became trapped under one of the front wheels of her Ford Ka. Police were unable to confirm whether another motorist was at the wheel at the time of the incident. BOOKS USED IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION Road engineers used 2,500,000 unsold Mills & Boon novels in the construction of the Warwickshire to Staffordshire M6 Toll, it has emerged. The romantic novels were pulped and used by supplier Tarmac to form the top layer of the pay-as-you-go route. A Tarmac spokesman said: "They may be slushy to many people, but it's their no-slushiness that's their attraction." PLEA OVER ILLEGAL FIREWORKS West Midlands Euro MP Michael Cashman is lobbying the European Commission to stamp out black market fireworks. Mr Cashman said more than 2,000 tonnes of the illegal devices have been sold in Britain this year. Last month trading standards officers seized four tonnes of the black market fireworks from a car boot sale in Stoke-on-Trent. £1.3m MAN JAILED OVER FAKE GUN A newly-rich millionaire from Coventry has been jailed for eight months after threatening pub staff with a fake gun. Terrance Hope had recently learned of a £1.3m inheritance from his late mother when he terrorised staff at The Foley Arms in Old Swinford, Stourbridge. A judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court said the 57-year-old's head had been turned by the inheritance. PITS GIVEN GOVERNMENT FUNDING The country's biggest coal producer has accepted investment aid of £26.6m to help safeguard 3,000 jobs at five pits, including one near Coventry. Daw Mill is among the pits benefiting from the Government aid. UK Coal said a further £10m needed for three other pits is being reviewed because mining plans are now being re-examined. INFECTED PATIENT PAID OFF A hospital patient from Walsall who contracted hepatitis C from a woman who had surgery before him has been awarded £20,000 compensation. Colin Tonks, 41, received back surgery at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth hospital in August and was later diagnosed with the liver condition. A female patient with the virus had been operated on the morning before. THIEVES USE GUN IN HOUSE RAID A man has been pistol-whipped and his elderly mother tied up by two robbers who raided their Warwickshire home. The 56-year-old and his mother, 81, were surprised by the two intruders who appeared in their hallway in Arley, near Atherstone. The intruders were two black men, around 6ft and wearing navy boiler suits, who may have used a white van.
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