Birmingham Post

City Frozen Solid

A ll of Birmingham's schools were closed today as the big freeze struck the region with a vengeance yesterday. The decision to close the 470 primary and secondary schools was taken last night by the LEA after talks with the police and transport authorities.

Hutton Clears Blair

Tony Blair was cleared of responsibility for the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly yesterday. But BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies announced his resignation after the broadcaster was condemned in Lord Hutton's long-awaited report.

Land Rover Stalemate

Talks at Land Rover have reached stalemate with management refusing to return to the negotiating table until the three unions have revealed their agenda. The company said last night it was seeking 'qualifications from the unions before any meeting was held'.

The Big Freeze: Global Warming Is Even Bigger Threat Than Terrorism, Mp Warns

The threat of global warming must be pushed to the top of the Government's agenda, a Midland MP has warned. David Kidney (Lab Stafford) said schools, councils, industry and the international community should all be involved in tackling climate change.

The Big Freeze: Snow and Ice Shuts Airports

Thousands of passengers were stranded at Britain's busiest airports last night as snow and freezing weather swept the country. At Birmingham International Airport all flights were cancelled at about 9.30pm as the runway was closed in plunging temperatures.

The Big Freeze: Chaos As Streets Turn to Ice

'T hey have known it was going to be like this for three days, how can this happen?' That was the sentiment of just one driver as she voiced the frustration felt by thousands of commuters who tried to struggle home last night. Even the shortest trips took several hours as freezing slush made driving impossible.

The Big Freeze: Snow Misery Hits Everyone From Commuters to Concert- Goers

It was not just commuters who suffered last night. West Midlands Fire Service said it was only able to respond to fire or rescue calls because of the chaos on the region's roads. It was a move made to conserve core services as appliances were stuck in traffic while responding to non-emergency calls, said a spokesman.

The Big Freeze: Five Hours to Drive Five Miles ; Caroline Foulkes Was at the Sharp End of Last Night's Chaos

I left work at 4.20pm yesterday having got in at 8.20am. Everything was fine until I got near Pebble Mill on the Bristol Road. And then it started. The traffic slowed to a crawl. This is nothing unusual but taking half an hour to get from Pebble Mill to the university gate is. After the turn-off for Bournville, it just got worse.

The Big Freeze: 16,000 Call Rac for Help

Travel chaos was not just confined to the airports -the RAC took a call every three seconds from motorists needing help. A spokesman said many were from drivers whose vehicles needed recovering after skidding off the road.

The Big Freeze: Motorist Dies As His 4x4 Car Overturns

An elderly motorist died yesterday when his four wheel drive car left a snow-covered private road and turned over. Firefighters said the accident, at about 1.25pm, happened on a private road in the grounds of Ravensthorpe Manor, at Boltby, near Thirsk, in North Yorkshire.

Flood of Grants Is Failing to Bridge North-South Divide ; As Billions of Pounds of Public Money Is Poured Into Regenerating the West Midlands, Mps Highlight the Failure of One Objective While the Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands Unveils Its Future Plans. Political Editor Jonathan Walker and Richard Warburton Report.

Government grants have failed to end the North-South divide and boost employment in regions such as the West Midlands, MPs warn today. A House of Commons inquiry said millions of pounds being poured into the region was having 'little real impact', writes JONATHAN WALKER. It also claimed that not enough money was being made available to help service industries.

Girl, 19, in Sex Attack at Station

Police yesterday conducted a finger-tip search at a Midland railway station where a teenager suffered a serious sexual assault. Bromsgrove station, in Worcestershire, was closed until 1pm after a 19-year-old walking with a crutch was attacked on Tuesday. It is not known if the woman was a passenger or was waiting for someone to arrive at the station when the assault took place, shortly after 7.30pm.

Blueprint Unveils Pounds 20 Billion Project

Advantage West Midlands today unveils its blueprint for a pounds 20 billion economic expansion of the region over the next five years. The development agency has identified 13 key 'challenges' that need to be addressed with public sector funding to realise the vision of making the West Midlands a world class region in which to work and live.

'Non-League' School Rises to the Premiership with Specialist Status

A Birmingham school branded 'the Accrington Stanley' of the city's education league has been named as one of 34 new specialist schools in the Midlands. Holte School, in Lozells, had previously been told it did not stand a chance of becoming a specialist school because it was up against 'Premier League' schools in the city. But headteacher Patricia Walters was elated by the news that her school, in one of the most deprived areas of Birmingham, had been awarded joint specialist status for perfo...

Falling Numbers Sees Home Closed

One of the UK's leading healthcare providers, Birmingham-based BHSF, is to close its last convalescence home due to a decline in demand. BHSF -formerly the Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund -will shut its final home in Kewstoke, Weston-super-Mare, by the end of the year with the loss of 40 jobs.

Antiques Fair

Mum to Follow Pop Hero's Uk Footsteps

A Birmingham mother is so besotted with pop group Duran Duran she is taking a three-week holiday to follow the band on all 14 dates of their UK comeback tour. Sales assistant Ally HughesWhite, aged 36, of Northfield, will travel with two other friends on a countrywide trek, taking in shows in London, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff and a VIP show in Glasgow.

Soham Pair to Help in Skydiver Killer Hunt

Detectives who led the inquiry into the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells joined others from around Britain yesterday to help colleagues investigating the death of a young skydiver. Senior officers from a number of forces were invited to a conference in Scunthorpe to review the inquiry into the death of 20year-old Stephen Hilder, from Hereford.

Cannabis Users Still Face Arrest, Say Police

A ny youths caught with cannabis in the West Midlands following the drug's reclassification will be arrested but adults caught in possession for the first time are unlikely to be, West Midlands Police said yesterday. The Government's move to downgrade the drug from Class B to Class C came into effect at midnight but officers repeated the message that it was still illegal. Adults stopped and found to have a small amount of cannabis are likely to be given a formal caution and the drug confiscat...

Murderer's Father Attacks Cannabis Reclassification

The father of a drug addict who was jailed for life for the murder of two war veterans has criticised the Government's reclassification of cannabis. Roger Aston, who claims his son Andrew's drug addiction started with cannabis and spiralled into a crack cocaine habit, believes cannabis has effectively been decriminalised by moving it from a Class B drug to Class C.