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MAN CHARGED OVER DEATH A 21-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter after a teenager died following a collision with a vehicle near a taxi rank in Leominster. David Stanik, 19, of Leominster, was in collision with a car in Dishley Street after an assault in Westbury Street. A police spokesman said the local man arrested will appear before magistrates in Hereford on Friday, January 30. MAN CHARGED WITH STREET ATTACK A man has been charged with malicious wounding following an attack in Lichfield which left a father of two with severe head injuries. The 40-year-old man was found in Bore Street unconscious and bleeding heavily from head and facial injuries. A local man in his mid-20s has been charged and bailed to appear before magistrates in Tamworth on February 2. UNTAXED CARS TO BE CRUSHED Untaxed vehicles in Stoke-on-Trent face being crushed if discovered by teams targeting the city in a bid to remove illegal cars from the road. DVLA officers and local police will patrol the north of the city in search of vehicles without valid tax discs. Staffordshire Police said untaxed vehicles would be clamped and taken to a secure compound. LAND ROVER WORKERS ON STRIKE Hundreds of Land Rover workers have gone on 24-hour strike over pay at the company's main factory in Solihull. Noisy crowds assembled behind temporary wire fences for the first walkout at the vehicle maker since 1988. Strikers booed and shouted at employees breaking the picket manned by trades union officials from Amicus, the TGWU and GMB. RAIL WIRING PROBE LAUNCHED An investigation has been launched into faulty wiring on the Staffordshire stretch of track on the West Coast Mainline, it has been confirmed. Network Rail said inquiries were being made into how signalling cables on a 100mph section of the line were connected incorrectly. The fault meant signallers near Stone could not tell where trains were. PENSIONERS IN PROTEST Protesting pensioners are taking to the streets of Birmingham in a campaign to save their pension books. The plans to pay pensions directly into bank and building society accounts is "unpopular, unfair and unsuitable", The National Pensioners Convention says. Protests will take place outside post offices and in the city centre. Five million pensioners use a pension book. PATROLS TO REDUCE BAD BEHAVIOUR Neighbourhoods in Telford and Wrekin blighted by crime are to be patrolled by community safety officers. Nineteen officers are being deployed across the borough in a bid to crack down on nuisance behaviour and to offer advice on crime and fire prevention. A police spokesman said: "We want them to become trusted and valued members of the communities in which they work." IRAQI TEENAGER STABBED IN NECK An Iraqi teenager has been stabbed in the neck during an attack in Stoke-on-Trent, police have said. The 17-year-old was treated for a deep knife wound at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, where his condition is believed to be stable. Police want to speak to another Iraqi youth who left the scene in Lowther Street before officers arrived. TOWN CENTRE REVAMP UNDER WAY A £500,000 scheme to redevelop Oswestry town centre is set to start with the reconstruction of footpaths, junctions, roundabouts and traffic signals. The 22-week project has been devised by the town, borough and county councils together with West Mercia Police. The Government-backed project's second phase is expected to include the reconstruction of Cross Street. MAN HURT IN HIT-AND-RUN A man has been seriously injured in a collision with a car that failed to stop in Birmingham. Manjit Singh, 38, was struck as he used a pelican crossing at the junction of St Paul's Road and Mallin Street in Smethwick, police said. Officers believe a dark coloured VW Golf was involved and are appealing for witnesses to come forward. MAN DIES IN MICROLIGHT CRASH A pilot was killed when his microlight aircraft crashed into a field just north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The man was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary following the accident but was pronounced dead a short time later. An investigation has been launched by the Civil Aviation Authority with the help of Leicestershire Police. The man has not yet been formally identified. NEW CAR PLANT STRIKE PLANNED Workers at car giant Land Rover's Solihull plant will stage a second strike in a dispute over pay, union leaders have announced. The walkout will occur on February 9 unless there is a breakthrough in the row over a rejected pay offer of 6.5%. Union leaders have written tothe firm, calling for a resumption of talks to try to avert further industrial action. RARE ROLEX WATCH TO GO ON SALE One of the rarest Rolex watches ever produced is due to go on sale at the NEC in Birmingham with an estimated pricetag of £70,000. The timepiece, which charts the lunar month as well as the conventional calendar, is one of five made in 1950 and the last one available to buy. It is to be sold at the first National Fine Art and Antiques Fair. EX-FOOTBALLER JAILED An ex-Aston Villa star found drunk on his car floor after he drove it into a wall has been jailed for four months. Gary Charles, 33, who was also banned from driving for four years, crashed his Mercedes in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. Charles, of Stretton, who also faced charges over a hire car he crashed and then abandoned, admitted dangerous driving before Derby magistrates. ROAD CLOSED AFTER DIESEL SPILL One of Stoke-on-Trent's busiest roads was closed after a lorry overturned, spilling diesel across the carriageway. The crash, at the junction of the A34 and A500, caused severe delays for rush-hour motorists. A police spokesman said the Dutch driver, who was delivering carpets in the region, had to be cut free from the wreckage but was uninjured. DOG TRACKS TAKEOVER BID AGREED Both of Birmingham's dog tracks could soon have the same owner as the world famous MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas. The tracks at Hall Green and Perry Barr are among six stadiums owned by gaming group Wembley, which has agreed a £270m takeover by casino giant MGM Mirage. The deal ends uncertainty over the group's future after it announced a number of offers had been made. MORE TIME FOR STABBING PROBE Police in north Worcestershire have been granted a further 24 hours to question a man arrested after a fatal stabbing in Rubery. The suspect was detained after Patrick Martin Peters, 28, was found dead at a flat in New Road. A post-mortem examination showed that the father-of-one died from a single stab wound to the abdomen. 'ICE RINK' ROADS CAUSE CHAOS "Ice rink" road conditions have brought misery for motorists in Birmingham, the Black Country and north Staffordshire. Birmingham's Council House has been opened as a rest centre for stranded workers, as some motorists endured nightmare trips of up to seven hours. HGVs, including jack-knifed lorries, were stuck, causing gridlock on routes to the south and west of the city. OFFICIALS URGE FIRE PREVENTION English Heritage officials are encouraging places of worship in the West Midlands to invest in fire detection and prevention equipment. The move follows suspected arson at Peterborough Cathedral in November 2001 which caused an estimated £4m damage. The organisation is to reveal details of funding packages to protect cathedrals in the region. COUPLE HELD OVER BABY MURDER A Worcestershire couple have been arrested in connection with the murder of a baby in west Cumbria. The body of the baby - named Lara by police - was found entombed in concrete in a garage at Barepot, near Workington 16 months ago. A 42-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman from Droitwich Spa will be taken to Cumbria for questioning. TOP-UP FEES 'DEFEAT' FOR POOR Lichfield Tory MP Michael Fabricant has described the Government's victory over top-up fees as a "defeat" for potential students from poorer backgrounds. Speaking after the Higher Education Bill squeezed through by five votes, he said: "Britain needs university students with ability, not just money." He added: "The concessions mean nothing for poorer middle class families." UNIVERSITY BOSS WELCOMES BILL
ARCHBISHOP SPEAKS OUT ON FEES The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, has spoken out on the debate over top-up fees. "This decision by the House of Commons presents higher education institutions with new challenges, particularly for some of the church colleges," he said. He added: "Not least is how to 'price' courses without being clear of the impact on students' decisions." CAMRA CAMPAIGN AT ALE FESTIVAL The Campaign for Real Ale is taking its Local Beer for Local Pubs campaign to the National Winter Ales festival in Burton-on-Trent. Visitors to the event will be asked to sign a petition in support of Camra's efforts to persuade pub groups to offer drinkers at least one local tipple. The three-day festival at Burton Town Hall will feature nearly 100 drinks. POLICE HUNT PELLET GUN ATTACKER Warwickshire Police are trying to trace a gunman who shot a teenage girl and cyclist with a pellet gun from a van. The 15-year-old was walking in Alcester Road, Studley, when a blue van drew up and the driver shot her in the leg. A man cycling along the A435 was hit in the back shortly after and saw the same vehicle pass him. Neither victim was seriously injured in the shootings. COUPLE QUIZZED OVER DOG ASSAULT A man and woman from Redditch have been arrested over an attack on a couple who tried to stop a dog being assaulted. The suspects were arrested after the couple, in their 50s, were set upon by a man and woman who were allegedly treating a golden retriever cruelly. West Mercia Constabulary said the suspects had been released on bail pending further inquiries. RECIPE STARTS REVOLUTION A Worcestershire great-grandmother may have kick-started a culinary revolution after her lemon curd recipe proved a hit among Russians visiting a website. Jean Munslow, 85, of Hallow, said she was bemused by Russians' fascination after her son posted the recipe on the site to explain what it was. Mrs Munslow said: "I can't believe the response the recipe has had." TARANTULA FIND 'NOT A WORRY' Experts have told residents in a suburb of Birmingham that tarantulas found in a terraced house are unlikely to have mated and spread into their homes. The British Tarantula Society said the discovery of a Chilean rose spider in Handsworth is "nothing to worry about". A spokesman said he was not surprised that one spider survived for a year after a previous tenant moved out. FIRE ENGINES GET CCTV West Midlands fire engines are being fitted with CCTV cameras to protect emergency crews from violent attacks. Figures show there were 15 more reported incidences of violence against regional crews in 2003 than in 2002. It is hoped the 15 cameras fitted in appliances in Sandwell, Birmingham and Coventry, will act as a deterrent. They will cost £37,000 to install. COUPLE BAILED OVER BABY DEATH A Worcestershire couple arrested in connection with the baby-in-the-block murder in Cumbria have been released on police bail. Philip and Anne Chadwick, aged 42 and 41, were arrested in Droitwich Spa over the death of the baby girl found in a block of concrete in Barepot. They were bailed to appear at a future date, a Cumbria Police spokesman said. NEIGHBOUR'S ALARM SAVES OAP A Coventry pensioner's life has been saved by his neighbour's smoke alarm which detected a severe fire in his home, West Midlands Fire Service said. The 82-year-old is being treated in Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital for burns to his head and upper body after the blaze in Morris Avenue, Church End. Twenty firefighters attended the fire, which gutted the semi-detached house. BRIDGE DEATHS INQUEST NEARS END The inquest into the deaths of two men who plunged nearly 50ft onto a railway line in a Land Rover in Birmingham is due to be concluded. Anthony Gilsennan and Brian Smith, both 33, died when the 4x4 smashed through a bridge parapet and landed upside down on the tracks in Longbridge on June 11. Mr Gilsennan's son, Dominic, then nine, also suffered serious head injuries. YOUNG WOMAN'S BODY FOUND The body of a young woman has been found by police and paramedics at a property in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Staffordshire Constabulary said the 25-year-old woman was discovered at an address in London Road, Chesterton. A force spokesman said the death was not being treated as suspicious but that a coroner's inquiry was set to be held later. SUMMIT TO TACKLE WEB DANGERS Teachers, police officers and computer experts are meeting in Birmingham to discuss how to help young people understand the dangers of the internet. The seminar is designed to forge links between police and schools in a bid to tackle the abuse of young people. Delegates will address how police can best support teaching staff once any risk of abuse comes to light. MAN ARRESTED OVER ROAD RAGE A motorist has suffered facial injuries during a confrontation with another driver in south Worcestershire. The alleged assault happened in Albert Road, Evesham, close to the junction with Briar Close, police said. The driver of a white van was treated in Evesham Hospital while the occupant of a silver Citroen Saxo was arrested on suspicion of assault. MAN JAILED FOR BENEFIT FRAUD A Redditch man has been jailed for six months for benefit fraud after he failed to inform the local council he was working while claiming. Marc Cutler, 31, of Matchborough, was found guilty of eight counts of making false representation to obtain benefits totalling £8,003. A council spokesman said: "It stresses the seriousness of benefit fraud." ALE NAMED CHAMPION WINTER BEER A heart-warming barley wine named after a retired Royal Navy submariner has been honoured as Britain's Champion Winter Beer in Burton-on-Trent. Judges at the Campaign for Real Ale's National Winter Ales Festival deemed Old Freddy Walker to be the perfect antidote to the cold weather. The 7.3% ABV tipple is brewed by the Moor Beer Company in Somerset. KGB MAN TO REPAY CRIME PROCEEDS The Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by a former KGB agent from Alvechurch, convicted of a $27m counterfeit scam, to overturn a confiscation order. David Levin, 38, was jailed for nine years in July 2002 by a judge at Worcester Crown Court for his part in the counterfeit of US dollars. He must repay £789,300 within two years or face an extra four years in jail.
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