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LAND ROVER STAFF IN NEW WALKOUT Production at Land Rover's Solihull factory is set to be hit by another 24-hour strike over pay today. Thousands of workers at the plant are to stage their second walkout in two weeks after rejecting a two-year deal worth 6.5%. Unions want a bigger deal, arguing that Land Rover workers deserve parity with wages at Jaguar. Ford owns both firms. ARSONISTS STRIKE AT FLATS Two girls and a man have been treated for smoke inhalation after arsonists set refuse alight in the lobby of a block of flats in Birmingham. West Midlands Fire Service said the blaze spread up the internal staircase at Hillcroft House, blocking the only escape route. A fire service spokesman urged people to give any information they had. TRAFFIC WARDEN TACKLES ROBBER An off-duty traffic warden rugby tackled a robber she saw stealing a cash box from a security guard making a routine delivery in Birmingham. The woman attempted a citizen's arrest but the man struck her with the box -which contained a large amount of money and was later recovered - and fled. Police said a man has been arrested and bailed over the incident. PROSTITUTION PROJECT HAILED A project to tackle street prostitution in an area of Birmingham blighted by the trade has been declared a success. Organisers of The Birmingham Partnership on Street Prostitution said the initiative had had a significant impact on the situation in Edgbaston. Councillor Mick Rice said lessons had been learned and the partnership had implemented a number of action plans. MEP SEEKS BACKING FOR OPT-OUT A West Midlands Euro MP has urged colleagues to back a campaign retaining an opt-out clause letting employees work more than 48 hours a week. Lib Dem Liz Lynne said Labour MEPs had broken with the Government's commitment to a flexible market and competitive economy by pushing for its abolition. The MEP was speaking ahead of a European Parliament debate and vote. MP URGES REWARDS FOR RESIDENTS Birmingham MP Steve McCabe has demanded rewards be offered to residents who are prepared to give evidence against vandals and "nuisance" neighbours. The Labour MP for Hall Green praised the city council for securing the imprisonment of three tenants who had breached Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. He said: "I think we should be offering rewards to people who inform on crime" NINE ARRESTED AT FOOTBALL MATCH Police arrested nine people during the football match between Port Vale and Sheffield Wednesday at Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent. Staffordshire Police said people were detained for various offences including assault, breaching a football banning order and entering the stadium drunk. Police intervened when disorder broke out after the final whistle. POLICE CAR COLLIDES WITH GIRL An 11-year-old girl remains in intensive care after she was in collision with a police car en route to an emergency call in Birmingham. The girl was outside a leisure centre and swimming baths in Newtown Row when the accident happened. She was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital. The incident has been referred to the Police Complaints Authority. DUBAI FLIGHTS CANCELLED Airline Emirates has cancelled a second daily flight from Birmingham to Dubai, despite already taking bookings from passengers. The second service was due to start on March 10 but Emirates has put the launch on hold and opted to expand its Heathrow operation instead. A spokesman said: "Customers already booked are being accommodated." CITY CENTRE TOWER DEMOLISHED A 20-storey Birmingham city centre tower block has been demolished to allow for redevelopment. A total of 76 flats in the Flint Tower have been destroyed in Icknield Port Road, Ladywood. Birmingham City Council said that apart from an hour-long delay caused by the removal of two cars in the exclusion zone, the demolition was a success. PROBE INTO ROBBERY SHOOTING Detectives are investigating the murder of a man who was gunned down moments after an armed robbery in Birmingham. Police said the 28-year-old victim from Walsall was shot dead in the city centre after a raid on the Nationwide Building Society in High Street. "We are still carrying out inquiries to find out his involvement in the incident," a police spokesman said. FOOTBALLER DUE IN COURT Aston Villa footballer Darius Vassell is due to stand trial at Birmingham Magistrates' Court over allegations he failed to comply with traffic lights. The 23-year-old striker, from Sutton Coldfield, has previously pleaded not guilty to the offence. Three other road traffic allegations were withdrawn at an earlier hearing. The trial should last one day. MAN'S BODY FOUND IN FIELD Police in Staffordshire are probing the discovery of a man's body in a field near Codsall. A post-mortem is go ahead to determine the cause of death of the man, found off Coniston Road, close to the county border with Wolverhampton. The south Staffordshire coroner has been informed and inquiries are continuing, a police spokesman said. MP CRITICISES SECURITY WALL Birmingham Northfield MP Richard Burden has accused Israeli PM Ariel Sharon of breaching international law by building a security wall in Palestinian areas. The Labour MP, chair of the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group, revealed that 180 MPs have signed a motion against the wall. He said: "Words are not enough. It is time for real international pressure." 'ADDICTED' MERSON SEEKS HELP Walsall footballer Paul Merson has taken a break from playing to seek treatment for what his club has called "addictive problems". The 35-year-old former Aston Villa star has previously fought battles against drink, drugs and gambling. The Walsall club said Merson had left the country to undertake a programme of treatment and rehabilitation. THEATRE TO CLOSE FOR REPAIRS Birmingham's Old Rep Theatre is due to close for three months while essential repairs are carried out. The city council-run venue - which is England's first purpose-built repertory theatre - will close its doors to audiences from May 23 to August 13. The auditorium, built in 1913, will be scaffolded and its plasterwork inspected. BODY FOUND IN BURNING CAR Police are investigating after a body was discovered in a burning car near to the German Cemetery on Cannock Chase. Staffordshire Police said the find was made after firefighters were called to woodland. As crews tackled the blaze the body was discovered in the vehicle. A police spokesman said the coroner has been informed. DNA 'MATCHES RAPE SUSPECT' DNA evidence from a 10-year-old girl allegedly subjected to a five-hour sex attack in Birmingham matches that of a suspected serial rapist, a court heard. An expert told Maidstone Crown Court it was 110 times more likely the DNA came from Antoni Imiela, 49, from Appledore, Kent, than anyone unrelated to him. Imiela denies kidnap, indecent assault and attempted rape of the girl. BID TO REDUCE CONGESTION Engineers are hoping to cut congestion in the West Midlands at the spot where the M6, M42 and M6 Toll meet by removing a lane from a link road. They have closed part of the link joining junction 4A of the M6 with the southbound M42 for a fortnight's trial. The Highways Agency said it will simplify merging movements and smooth the flow of the M42 southbound. GABLE COLLAPSES ON PARKED CAR Building inspectors are assessing a terrace in Stoke on Trent after part of it collapsed on to a parked car. Firefighters were called to Warrington Road, Hanley, after neighbours heard a gable and chimney crash to the ground. Both the first-floor flat and ground-floor printing shop at the end of the terrace were unoccupied at the time, police said. POLICE PROBE BYSTANDER SHOOTING Police are trying to piece together the events which led to a bystander being shot dead as three armed robbers fled a building society in Birmingham. The 28-year-old innocent victim, whose family come from Walsall, died of a gunshot wound to the chest. "What happened to provoke somebody to shoot him we do not know," said Chief Inspector Steve Glover. WANTED MAN STILL AT LARGE A violent burglar wanted in connection with a string of attacks on elderly people in Staffordshire remains on the run following a suspected sighting. Police deployed armed officers and a helicopter to Biddulph after hearing that escaped prisoner Isaac John Price was in the town. The 41-year-old is being hunted after raids in Ludlow and Bewdley. FEARS OVER TYRE FACTORY JOBS Fresh job losses at a Wolverhampton tyre factory could signal "death by a thousand cuts", a union has warned. Goodyear Dunlop said 84 jobs will be lost at the plant because of reduced production of farm tyres. The Transport and General Workers Union said 2,000 jobs have been axed at the site in the past four years and called for a meeting with the firm's bosses. PLANE-SPOTTER SURPRISED AT CASH A Staffordshire plane-spotter who was among a group acquitted of spying in Greece has admitted he never expected to have his bail money returned. Wayne Groves, from Tamworth, is among seven of the defendants who have reached an out of court settlement over the £9,200 they each paid. "We won't get the full amount, we'll get less than half at best," he said. POLICE BID TO IDENTIFY DEAD MAN Staffordshire Police are to check dental records in a bid to formally identify a man found dead in a burning car on Cannock Chase. Police said the man, thought to be aged 59 and from the local area, was found dead after firefighters were called to woodland near the German Cemetery. A post-mortem examination is to take place to determine the cause of death. WARRANT FOR CRASH DEATH ACCUSED A warrant has been issued for a man accused of killing a pregnant Daventry teacher in a crash after he failed to appear at Northampton Crown Court. Sri Lankan Ratnam Yogan, 29, of east London, was charged after the accident in which 26-year-old Deborah Peaty and her unborn daughter died. Police believe Yogan may be in London, where he has family, or in Leicester. MP IN CYBER SECURITY WARNING The Government must do more to prepare for possible attack by cyber terrorists on vital public utilities, Lichfield Tory MP Michael Fabricant said. The shadow economic affairs minister said the UK should create a department to protect computer-controlled public services like gas and electricity. He said: "Work is urgently needed to take forward this critical agenda." DJ CRITICAL AFTER HOME RAID An award-winning radio DJ is in a critical condition in hospital after being injured during a confrontation with a gang of burglars in Birmingham. Tushar Makwana, 37, of 100.7 Heart FM, suffered serious head injuries after disturbing intruders at his home and following them outside. Mr Makwana may have been run over by a car carrying the gang, police said. MURDERED GIRL'S PARENTS IN PLEA The parents of a prostitute found strangled in Stoke-on-Trent three years ago have appealed for information on the anniversary of her death. The body of Nikola Higgins, 23, was discovered in February 2001 near a graveyard in Chatterley Road, Tunstall. Her mother Fern said: "I ask people to think hard and contact the police with any information about Nikola's death." SHOT MAN WAS FOLLOWING ROBBERS A student shot dead by an armed robber moments after a building society raid in Birmingham had been following the three men involved in the incident. Joseph Nwabuko, 28, may have been trying to note the registration number of the getaway vehicle, police said. Det Chief Insp Nigel Rock said Mr Nwabuko, whose family are from Walsall, had moved to the city a month ago. FIREMAN WINS DISMISSAL CLAIM A Birmingham fireman sacked over claims he sabotaged equipment and organised illegal pickets during the fire strike has won an appeal against dismissal. Steve Godward, 44, was suspended from duty at Aston fire station 50 minutes before the start of the first strike in 2002 and sacked the following month. Junior Fire Minister Phil Hope has upheld Mr Goddard's appeal. POLICE ADDRESS EUROPEAN SEMINAR West Midlands Police are addressing an international conference in Holland about a new community scheme to combat crime in the Aston area of Birmingham. Officers are in Rotterdam for the two-day event bringing together law enforcement experts from across Europe. The force is piloting a two-year scheme to improve Aston, which has been blighted by gun crime in recent years. MORE TIME FOR STAB DEATH QUIZ Detectives have been granted a further 36 hours to question two men arrested after a fatal stabbing in Worcs. West Mercia Police said the pair are being questioned in connection with the murder of 47-year-old Alan Jacowicz, of Mill Street, Evesham. He died in hospital after suffering stab wounds at an address in Bewdley Lane, Evesham, late on Monday. MP CRITICISES RUNWAY DECISION The Government has "put the cart before the horse" in its decision to build a second runway at Birmingham Airport, a Tory MP has told the House of Commons. Caroline Spelman, MP for Meriden, said ministers should have assessed the environmental impact first. She said the decision left "local people feeling vulnerable to concrete-mixers in the countryside". DJ DIES AFTER BURGLARY INCIDENT An award-winning radio DJ has died after being critically hurt confronting burglars at his Birmingham home. 100.7 Heart FM said Tushar Makwana died in hospital after he was left lying in the road with head injuries outside his Castle Bromwich home on Monday. The father-of-three, 37, had followed the two burglars outside and may have been run over by their getaway car. STATION STAFF SHOCKED AT DEATH Staff at the Birmingham-based radio station where Tushar Makwana worked have spoken of their "devastation" at the DJ's tragic death. Close to tears, Heart FM managing director Paul Fairburn said staff at the station were "shattered". The DJ died in hospital after he was apparently run over by a car when he confronted thieves at his home. PENSIONER'S BODY FOUND IN WOODS A pensioner's body has been found in woodland near Lichfield after a search involving a helicopter equipped with thermal imaging equipment. The body of the 67-year-old was found close to the village of Weeford after a local man was reported missing. The coroner has been informed of the death and a post-mortem examination will be held. CITY ROAD CAMPAIGN SLAMMED Highways officials have been criticised for planning an advertising campaign urging drivers to avoid Birmingham when a £10m repair programme begins. Public transport leaders say motorists should instead be encouraged to find alternative means of travelling into the city when work begins. Work on the M6 and A38 Aston Expressway is due to begin in July. PENSIONER DIES IN HOUSE BLAZE A pensioner has died and her lodger is critically injured after fire tore through their Birmingham home. The 68-year-old landlady and her tenant, 56, were rescued from the semi-detached house in Stechford, but the pensioner died later in hospital. West Midlands Police said the victim had not been formally identified but she was named locally as Pat Holland. HOARDERS REVEALED IN SURVEY Householders in Birmingham are hoarding nearly one million items of clutter worth almost £5m, a new survey said. Classified adverts paper Loot estimates that there are 968,000 unwanted objects tucked away in Birmingham homes, worth a total of £4.84m. It is believed every household contains £250 worth of junk, but only 5% of people have considered selling it. BOYS CRITICAL AFTER COLLISION Two young schoolboys are in a critical condition in hospital after they were in collision with a car on a zebra crossing in Birmingham, police said. West Midlands Police said the youngsters, aged six and nine, both suffered serious head injuries. The pair were crossing near a secondary school on Golden Hillock Road, in Sparkhill, when the collision happened. AREAS PICKED FOR SCHOOL PROJECT Two local education authorities in the West Midlands have been chosen to be in the vanguard of a £2.1bn schools rebuilding drive. The Building Schools for the Future programme will come from a mixture of public funds and the controversial Private Finance Initiative. Education authorities in Solihull and Stoke-on-Trent will take part. CITY WEATHER INQUIRY BEGINS An inquiry has been launched into why Birmingham came to a standstill when hit by severe winter weather. The city council's winter scrutiny committee is spending two days looking at why last month's snow caused such levels of transport chaos. Among the issues up for discussion is a claim that gritters were sent out too late despite advance warnings. CRASH VICTIM DIES IN HOSPITAL One of two elderly women who were in collision with a car in Warwickshire
has lost her fight for life. Police said the 79-year-old pedestrian died
in Warwick Hospital two days after suffering severe head injuries in the
incident in Kenilworth. Another woman, aged 81, is still recovering from
her injuries. The male car driver, from Coventry, was unhurt.
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