Birmingham Post

City Streets to Be Track for National Motor Race

Birmingham is preparing to stage high-speed street racing which could act as a precursor for a relaunched Super Prix, The Birmingham Post can reveal. Leisure chiefs from Birmingham last week attended the Isle of Man Rally with a view to setting up a similar event in the city.

Home Information Packs Lack Flooding Information

The Tories yesterday attacked Home Information Packs for failing to include the property's flood risk, as it emerged one in 10 new dwellings were built on at-risk land. It is the seller's decision whether to include information on flooding and other environmental hazards, but the Conservatives said this left the packs "untrustworthy and misleading".

Report Criticises a Lack of Funding Advice for Region's Small Firms

Most small and medium sized businesses in the West Midlands have no idea where to go to apply for the numerous Government and European funds available to stimulate economic growth, says a critical report. An official investigation blamed Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency, for failing to communicate effectively with the business community.

Officer Faces New Misconduct Case ; Death

A police officer is to face a fresh misconduct hearing in connection with the death of a man in custody, two years after the original case was halted, it was announced yesterday. Robert Hall, from Shrewsbury, was arrested in the town in April 2003, and died from a head injury while in police custody.

Compensation for Clerk's Hand Injury ; Injury

The Ministry of Defence was forced to pay out almost pounds 500,000 after an RAF computer clerk suffered a hand injury, it has been revealed. A total of pounds 484,000 in compensation and legal costs were awarded following the onset of a repetitive strain-type condition in the hand of the unnamed employee.

Marina Two Charged ; Murder

Two people appeared in court yesterday accused of the murder of a woman whose headless body was found floating in a marina. Noor Azura Mohd-Yusoff, 21, and Trach Lon Gian, 26, appeared at Redbridge Magistrates' Court in east London charged with the murder of Xing Xing Xie.

Boy Hurt in Crash ; Crash

A 12-year-old boy was seriously injured yesterday in a collision with a car. The accident happened at about 4.45pm on Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, outside a Lidl supermarket.

Birmingham Revs Up for Racing Challenges Ahead ; If History Repeats Itself, Council Officials Will Have to Go Through Many Legal and Financial Hurdles to Get Another Street Race Off the Ground. Neil Connor Looks Back at Birmingham's Controversial Super Prix

Rumours that the Birmingham Super Prix could be resurrected have never really disappeared since racing cars last zipped around the city's streets in 1990. As recently as 2004, the then council leisure boss John Alden spoke of a new Super Prix that would be run alongside the NEC's Motor Show.

'Waters Are Safe' Despite Shark Sightings

A great white shark could be hunting off the British coast, but experts yesterday said even if claimed sightings of the legendary predator were confirmed, the waters are safe. At the weekend, holidaymakers claimed to have seen a shark, like a great white, off the coast of Cornwall and after analysing footage experts could not rule out the possibility it was the notorious hunter, immortalised in the 1975 Steven Spielberg movie Jaws.

Barrister Loses Legal Battle for Compensation for Overdraft Bank Charges

Campaigners against penalty overdraft charges remained undeterred yesterday even though a barrister lost his legal bid to gain compensation from a high street bank. Tom Brennan was told he could not continue with his battle for damages from NatWest in relation to money taken from his account in unauthorised overdraft charges.

Perry Sales Grow As Drink Gets the Royal Approval

It has not always been regarded as the most sophisticated of alcoholic beverages and was often the subject of ridicule. Now, with the help of a few pop stars and several millions of pounds spent on campaigns to improve its reputation, perry is shedding its negative image.

Town and County Festival Reinvented

The axed Town and Country Festival is being reinvented as the Countryside and Food Fair, with a new emphasis on local produce. The event, which has been running on the August Bank Holiday at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire for the last 36 years, was cancelled this year following complaints that it was outdated and pricey for visitors.

Eu Call for Easier Compensation

A consumer group has called on the European Union to make it easier for Britons to seek redress for problems with financial products they buy abroad. The Financial Services Consumer Panel accused the EU of focusing on making cross-border trade easier for firms at the expense of customers.

Deportation Reprieve for 'Threats'

Two Algerians considered a threat to national security were reprieved from deportation yesterday - because of reasons they will never know. Master of the Rolls Sir Anthony Clarke delivered two Court of Appeal judgments on the same cases yesterday, one in secret and one in public.

Alleged Victim Was 'Sick' Says Actor Langham in Court Denial

The woman who claimed actor Chris Langham took her virginity at 14 was "sick", he told the court yesterday. The 5 8-year-old actor, who is also charged with downloading child pornography, denied having a lust for young girls, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Court Interpreter Mistake Prompts Refund Request

A barrister has demanded a refund for a train ticket after a "failure" to order a Chinese interpreter for a court case in Birmingham left him out of pocket. Richard Orme asked the judge Recorder Mr Simon Lofthouse QC to make an order against the Lord Chancellor's Department to cover the costs of a standard return fare from Manchester.

Man Knocked Out with Brick and Attacked by Gang

A paralysed man was knocked unconscious with a brick and then set upon by a gang of up to 30 youths as he sat helpless in his car, a court heard yesterday. Wheelchair-bound Craig Robins, 27, was attacked in Hednesford, Staffs, in October last year, and has still not recovered from the massive injuries inflicted.

Elderly Britons Still in Hospital

A group of elderly Britons feared to have symptoms of legionnaires' disease remain in a Swedish hospital after falling ill on a cruise ship travelling around Lapland. At least five British passengers aboard the Fred Olsen cruise liner the Black Watch were admitted to hospital in Stockholm on Friday, according to spokeswoman Wendy Hooper-Greenhill.

City Council Job Cut Claims Are 'Completely Fictitious'

Claims that a shake-up of back office administrative jobs at Birmingham City Council could lead to 1,000 redundancies have been described as "completely fictitious" by the local authority's chief executive. Stephen Hughes told a cabinet meeting yesterday the impact of an ambitious business transformation programme, which aims to deliver savings amounting to almost pounds 800 million over a 10-year period chiefly through reorganising the duties of finance officers, clerks and IT staff, had tri...

Extra Funds to Stop

The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which has poured more than pounds 100 million into fighting poverty and crime in Birmingham since 2001, will be wrapped up next year. Its impending demise has raised doubts about any alternative arrangements that may be put in place by the Government and resulted in a warning that redundancies may be inevitable among the city council workforce.