Birmingham Post

Piper Confident Bears Will Have Him Back After Drugs Ban

Warwickshire wicket-keeper Keith Piper has vowed to bounce back after being punished for recreational drug use and make it up to the people he had let down. The 35-year-old, who made his Edgbaston debut in 1989, has been suspended from any involvement in cricket in this country for the rest of the season after sentencing by an England and Wales Cricket Board disciplinary panel.

Yellow Cards for Drunken City Yobs

Police have issued a 'two strikes and you're out' warning to unruly revellers in Birmingham who will be issued with yellow cards for minor offences such as spitting and swearing. Some 45 officers began handing out the warnings to anti-social youths who plague the city's pub and nightclub districts last night as part of a major police crackdown launched.

Motorists' Pounds 3.29m in Fines

The total fines recovered from speeding motorists in the West Midlands during the last year has increased by 20 per cent - and the money going to the Treasury has more than doubled. Provisional figures for 2004/5 show 55,000 motorists paid fines totalling pounds 3.29 million, compared to 46,000 drivers paying out pounds 2.76 million the previous year.

'Kick in Teeth' for Creditors

Suppliers to MG Rover are likely to receive only a tiny fraction of the estimated pounds 1.4 billion they are owed by the collapsed car maker . An industry expert said a 'domino effect' could result, with firms going to the wall after it emerged they were likely to receive less than 5p for every pound they were owed.

A Wheel Attempt

A man, who was paralysed in a motorbike crash, will attempt a world record in his wheelchair next week. Paul Stares, aged 33 from Lower Broadheath, Worcester, will try to cover 6.1 miles using only the back wheels of his chair.

Pounds 15,000 Bill

Travellers have left a Birmingham park before they got thrown off - leaving a pounds 15,000 clean-up bill. About ten families had been parked up in caravans on Pype Hayes Park, Erdington, for the past two weeks.

Cancer Gig

A band, featuring two original members of The Housemartins, will perform a gig in Birmingham tonight to raise money for cancer care and research. Guitarist Ted Key and drummer Hugh Whittaker will perform with The Gargoyles at The Bear Tavern, in Bearwood Road, Bearwood, starting at 8pm.

Knife Victim

Railway Message to Children

School children on half term holiday next week are being warned they risk death if they trespass on or vandalise railway property. Chiltern Railways' safety alert has been issued because rail crime generally increases during school holiday periods.

Unofficial Home Helps Warned

Unofficial home help providers have been warned that they face prosecution if they charge elderly and disabled people for their services. The Commission for Social Care Inspection said it would not hesitate to take legal action against individuals running non- registered domiciliary care agencies.

Jail for Human Traffic Kingpin

A fish and chip shop magnate who headed the British end of an international human trafficking ring has been jailed for four years after admitting breaking immigration controls. Balwinder Singh Chatha (45) was arrested in October 2003 when National Crime Squad officers raided 17 addresses, including 12 takeaway outlets in Shropshire and Powys.

Police in Shock Find

A suspected illegal dog-fighting club was unearthed during a police and trading standards investigation into stolen mobile phones. West Midlands Police and trading standards officers from Sandwell Council made the find after raiding a number of premises across the borough on Thursday, including two market stalls, a shop and a lock- up garage.

Bollywood Stars in Town

Bollywood's answer to Brad Pitt is attracting fans in their thousands to this weekend's Sensation 2005 at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena. Hindi heart-throb Shah Rukh Khan will be headlining the annual extravaganza, a pageant of Bollywood stars singing well-loved songs from their best-known films.

Donor Campaign Hits the Streets

Birmingham's Afro-Caribbean community is being targeted as part of a national campaign to get more people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. More than 300,000 leaflets, titled Why Every Black Person Needs To Know about Organ Donation, are being distributed around the city's nail bars, beauty salons, cafes and local businesses.

Mum's 'Little Wonder' Is Growing Up

Britian's smallest ever baby, Aaliyah Hart, has celebrated her second birthday - but she is still only the size of a six-month-old child. Little Aaliyah, who weighed just 12oz when she was born, was all smiles as she celebrated the birthday doctors and other medical staff thought she would never see.

40 Donors Saved My Life - Now Give Blood

A Birmingham man has said thank you to 40 people for saving his life - and urged more people to donate blood so other lives can be saved. John Harris, aged 62, from Selly Oak, had an aneurysm - a swelling in the artery - which left him in a critical condition and needing 40 units of blood, more than 30 pints, to save him.

Leah's Death Helps Three Others to Live

When Leah Irving-Deer died in a fire at her Birmingham home, the only emotions her parents felt were despair and heartbreak. Four months on, their agony has turned to hope and brought joy to three other families.

Conman Is Jailed in Pounds 4.5 Million Nhs Scam

A crooked financier has been jailed for four years after targeting a string of cash-strapped hospitals, including one in the West Midlands, in a pounds 4.5 million scam. Posing as the high-powered head of a successful pounds 38 million empire, silver-tongued Peter Nicol spent years shamelessly funding a life of luxury at the expense of needy patients.

Man Caged for Double Rape of 12-Year-Old

A man, who twice raped a 12year-old girl while she was out trick or treating with a young friend last Hallowe'en, has been jailed for five years and four months. Peter Wigley (23) picked the girl and her ten-year-old friend up in Lichfield city centre after a chance meeting while they were out trick or treating to raise money to buy alcohol, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Just Go Fishing - Bosses Tell Nec Workers

One of Birmingham's largest employers asked staff to stop work yesterday - to paint their nails or go fishing. The NEC Group encouraged its 1,000 employees to develop their hobbies and interests in celebration of National Learning Week.