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| News Headlines: January 2011 |
| 31.01.11 New Teenage Cancer Unit in Northfield |
| A new teenage cancer unit was officially opened at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Northfield on Friday 28 January. |
| 31.01.11 Twenty Six Homeless Deaths in Brum |
| A humanist ceremony with music and poetry was held at the SIFA Fireside Centre on Lower Essex Street in Digbeth in order to celebrate the 26 homeless people who died on the street of Birmingham in 2010. |
| 30.01.11 Masked Men Raid House in Small Heath |
| A 14 year-old girl raised the alarm as four masked men burgled a house on Somerville Road in Small Heath. The thieves, who had been loading valuables into their van, were chased by passers-by and subsequently arrested in the Garratts Green area of east Birmingham. |
| 30.01.11 Car Hits Fans at St Andrews Stadium |
| A car reversed into a crowd of football fans whilst trying to leave St Andrews Stadium after the Carling Cup semi-final victory against West Ham on Wednesday 26 January. The driver was arrested after several people sustained minor injuries. |
| 29.01.11 Robber Jailed for Stabbing Motorist in Hay Mills |
| A 23 year-old man has been jailed for 9 years at Birmingham Crown Court for stabbing a motorist whom he attempted to rob in the car park of the Red Hill Tavern in Hay Mills on the afternoon of Tuesday 15 December 2009. |
| 29.01.11 Man Jailed for Bordesley Green Murder |
| A 40 year-old man has been convicted of the murder of his 38-year-old girlfriend whom he stabbed over 20 times at her home on Norton Crescent in Bordesley Green on 3 July 2010. He was jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court and must serve a minimum of 17 years. |
| 28.01.11 High Speed Rail Depot for Washwood Heath? |
| A maintenance depot with a workforce of 300 could be built at Washwood Heath as part of the proposed £18 billion high-speed London-Birmingham rail link. |
| 28.01.11 Fewer Passengers at Birmingham Airport |
| The number of passengers travelling through Birmingham Airport fell by 5.8% to 8.578 million in 2010. |
| 28.01.11 Woman Escapes from Burning House in Moseley |
| A woman, asleep in an upstairs room, escaped from a smoke-filled house on Sandford Road in Moseley after her kitchen caught fire on the morning of Tuesday 25 January. |
| 27.01.11 Incense Burner Causes Sparkhill Blaze |
| An incense burner caused a fire at an address on Frederick Road in Sparkhill on the morning of Tuesday 25 January. |
| 27.01.11 Oscott Manor School becomes UNICEF Ambassador |
| Oscott Manor School, which is a special state school on Old Oscott Hill in north Birmingham, has been awarded UNICEF ambassador status and will be twinned with a partner school in Zimbabwe. |
| 27.01.11 Police Hunt Sheldon Bookie Robbers |
| The police are still hunting two men who robbed Corals bookmakers at knifepoint on the Coventry Road in Sheldon at roughly 6.45 pm on Friday 10 December 2010. |
| 26.01.11 Teenager Threw Cat From Tower Block |
| A 19 year-old girl has received a 4 month suspended prison sentence at Birmingham Magistrates Court for killing her friend's cat by throwing it from the 11th floor of Giles Close House in Stechford on Tuesday 22 June 2010. |
| 26.01.11 Longbridge Developers Apply for Subsidy |
| St Modwen have applied to the Regional Growth Fund for a £22 million subsidy towards the regeneration of the former Rover plant at Longbridge. The company, which acquired the 468 acre site in 2003, has already developed part of it as the Cofton Centre, the Technology Park and Bournville College. Further state-subsidised improvements may encourage private investment, particularly the expansion of the Chinese-owned MG plant. |
| 26.01.11 Burglary Rate Soars in Quinton |
| According to Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the burglary rate in Quinton has increased from one or two per month to eighteen in the first three weeks of January 2011. Speaking in the House of Commons, she suggested that this spike may be the direct result of reduced police budgets. |
| 25.01.11 Small Heath Teacher Sent Racist Messages |
| The General Teaching Council has formally reprimanded a teacher for sending racist e-mails to his ex-colleagues at Wyndcliffe Primary School in Small Heath in May 2008. |
| 25.01.11 Kings Heath Bus Mugger Jailed |
| A 20 year-old man has been jailed for a minimum of 5 years for robbery and wounding with intent at Birmingham Crown Court; he stole a mobile phone from a 17 year-old youth whom he stabbed in the chest whilst travelling on a bus in Kings Heath High Street on the evening of Saturday 25 September 2010. |
| 25.01.11 Man Stabbed in Erdington High Street |
| A 20 year-old man was discovered with stab wounds near the Acorns pub on Erdington High Street at roughly 11.15pm on Saturday 22 January. He was hospitalised and remains in a critical but stable condition; two 19 year-old men have been arrested. |
| 24.01.11 Police Target Criminals in Acocks Green |
| The police have been targeting suspected criminals from the Gospel Estate in Acocks Green as part of Operation Intrusive which aims to reduce robbery, burglary and motoring offences. A 34 year-old man suspected of 27 burglaries has been arrested and 51 vehicles have been stopped of which 17 have been seized. |
| 24.01.11 Sex Trafficker Ran Brothel in Bordesley Green |
| A 23 year-old man, who ran a brothel on Hob Moor Road in Bordesley Green, has been jailed for 21 years after being convicted of sex trafficking and related offences at Manchester Crown Court. The man brought over girls from Romania to work as prostitutes in Birmingham. He also sent prostitutes to Manchester where they lived and worked in bedsits. |
| 23.01.11 Coroner Recommends Speed Signs for Moseley |
| The Assistant Deputy Coroner for Birmingham & Solihull has recommended the installation of flashing speed signs on Salisbury Road in Moseley where four men died after their car crashed into a garden wall in November 2009. |
| 23.01.11 Teen Jailed for Lee Bank Attack |
| An 18 year-old member of the B515 street gang has been jailed for 15 months for his role in the stoning of a house inhabited by eastern Europeans on St Catherine's Close in Lee Bank in July 2010. |
| 22.01.11 Irish Welfare Centre Loses Council Contract |
| Birmingham City Council has terminated its contract with the Irish Welfare Information Centre for the provision of housing support for the elderly. The centre, which is on Alcester Street in Digbeth, has supported vulnerable Irish migrants since 1957. |
| 22.01.11 Cock Inn Application for Rubery Playground |
| A planning application has been submitted for a children's play area at the Cock Inn in Rubery. |
| 22.01.11 Hodge Hill MP Shadows Work & Pensions |
| Liam Byrne, the Labour MP for Hodge Hill, has been appointed Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. |
| 21.01.11 Four Charged With Handsworth Wood Murder |
| The police have charged three men aged 49, 26 and 23 and one woman aged 26 with the murder of a 21 year-old woman who died shortly after she was smothered at an address on Craythorne Avenue in Handsworth Wood on 9 July 2009. |
| 21.01.11 Handsworth Mugger Jailed |
| A 21 year-old mugger has been jailed for 5 years 3 months at Birmingham Crown Court for battering and robbing a man whom he followed from a bookmakers on Heathfield Road in Handsworth on 17th February 2010. |
| 21.01.11 Two Gay Nightspots Close in Brum |
| Gay nightclub DV8 and gay bar Innov 8 have closed; both venues were on Lower Essex Street at the Gay Village in the Southside area of central Birmingham. |
| 20.01.11 FA Grant for Newtown Futsal Arena |
| The FA have awarded a £10,000 grant for the purpose of developing local league competition at the new 5-a-side futsal arena on Great King Street North in Newtown. |
| 20.01.11 Three Birmingham Restaurants in Michelin Guide |
| Three Birmingham restaurants - Purnell's, Simpson's and Turner's - have each been awarded one star in the 2011 Michelin Guide. |
| 20.01.11 Listed Status for Sutton Coldfield Buildings |
| The following buildings in Sutton Coldfield town centre have been added to the Grade B local list: the old Town School on Mill Street, the old Town Boys School on Victoria Road, the Council House on King Edwards Square, the Gate Public House on Mill Street, and the War Memorial on King Edwards Square. A sixth building, the Sons of Rest off Mill Street, has been added to the Grade A local list. |
| 19.01.11 Armed Robbery at William Hill in Four Oaks |
| A man escaped with cash after threatening a cashier with a knife at the bookmakers William Hill on Belwell Lane in the Four Oaks area of Sutton Coldfield at approximately 5:45 pm on Monday 10 January. |
| 19.01.11 Bordesley Station Closes for Repairs |
| Bordesley Station has closed until mid-February for platform repairs. |
| 19.01.11 Three New Travelodges for Birmingham |
| Three new Travelodges will open in Birmingham this year: the 210-bed Bullring Travelodge on Upper Dean Street will open in May; the 104-bed NEC Travelodge will open in September; and the 88-room Carrs Lane Travelodge will open in November; all three lodges will contain a cafe bar. |
| 18.01.11 Two Children Injured in Balsall Heath Crash |
| Two boys aged 4 and 5 sustained minor head injuries in a car crash on Balsall Heath Road at around 9am on Tuesday 18 January; the 5-year-old also broke his leg; both children were hospitalised; the driver was unhurt. |
| 18.01.11 Coffee Shop Handbag Thief Jailed |
| A 45-year-old asylum seeker has been jailed for 3.5 years at Birmingham Crown Court after he admitted 6 charges in connection with the theft of women's handbags in pubs and coffee houses in Birmingham city centre. |
| 18.01.11 Road Safety Scheme Approved for Aldridge Road |
| A road safety scheme, involving the installation of new roundabouts, signage, waiting and parking restrictions, has been approved for the Aldridge Road outside Great Barr primary and secondary schools. |
| 18.01.11 New Homes Replace Firebird Pub in Edgbaston |
| The former site of the Firebird pub on Bellevue in the Benmore area of Edgbaston has been redeveloped as the Phoenix Housing Estate; the new estate will provide affordable homes for first-time buyers with an annual household income of less than £60,000. |
| 17.01.11 Near Miss at Brum Airport |
| A TBM 700 light aircraft landed dangerously close to a Flybe passenger jet taxiing prior to take-off at Birmingham Airport at approximately 3.30pm on Wednesday 12 January. |
| 17.01.11 Radio Pirates Broadcast from Ladywood Flat |
| A 31 year-old woman, whose flat was raided on 22 July 2010, has received a conditional discharge at Birmingham Magistrates Court after she admitted being in charge of premises used for unlawful broadcasting; the prosecution alleged that she had allowed equipment to be installed on the balcony of her flat on Ledbury Close in Ladywood that enabled pirate station Hot FM to broadcast music. |
| 17.01.11 Man Jailed for Helping Suspected Gunman |
| A 32 year-old man has been jailed for 21 months at Birmingham Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of perverting the course of justice; the prosecution alleged that he drove a suspected gunman to Heathrow Airport after the shooting of a 20 year-old man at a birthday party off Melbourne Avenue in Lozells in November 2006. |
| 16.01.11 Road Rage Attack in Kingstanding |
| A 31 year-old man, who was hit by a car, had to scramble for cover as the driver tried to knock him down again on the Kings Road in Kingstanding at around 2am on Friday 14 January. |
| 16.01.11 Woodgate Robber Still at Large |
| Police are still attempting to identify an armed robber who brandished a stun gun at K's Supermarket on Sommerfield Road in Woodgate at around 7.45pm on Wednesday 10 November 2010. The thief, who wore an Osama Bin Laden mask, fled empty-handed after staff fought back. |
| 16.01.11 Man Hit by Bus on Washwood Heath Road |
| A pedestrian was hit by a bus on Washwood Heath Road at around 1pm on Friday 14 January; he was taken to QE Hospital with severe head injuries. |
| 15.01.11 Moseley Massage Parlour Closes |
| A massage parlour off Saint Mary's Row in Moseley Village, which was raided by police in October, has closed. A 31 year-old woman, who was arrested during the raid, was subsequently charged with managing or assisting in the management of a brothel. |
| 15.01.11 Injured Man on Suffolk Street Queensway |
| A seriously injured 29-year-old man was found lying on the northbound carriageway of the A38 Suffolk Street Queensway at approximately 5am on Friday 14 January. He was hospitalised in a stable condition. |
| 14.01.11 Funding Problems for Airport Runway Extension |
| The cost of diverting the A45 Coventry Road so that the runway at Birmingham Airport can be extended by 350 metres will be around £32 million. The project has stalled because of difficulty in raising these funds; the passenger transport authority Centro was to contribute £10 million, the airport £7 million and Birmingham City Council £15 million. However, the council may be unable to contribute its share because of budget cuts and so an application for £15 million may have to be made to a government regional growth fund. |
| 14.01.11 Woman Hit by Motorcyclist in Erdington |
| A female pedestrian was hit by a motorcyclist at the junction of Kingsbury Road and Tyburn Road in the Tyburn area of Erdington at around 5.30pm on Thursday 13 January; she was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries. |
| 14.01.11 Suspicious Death of Ward End Toddler |
| A 29 year-old man and 22 year-old woman from Old Moat Way in Ward End have been arrested following the suspicious death of a two-year-old toddler on Sunday 9 January. The family was known to social services. |
| 13.01.11 Man Stabbed by Burglars in Yardley |
| A 24 year-old man was stabbed during a raid by five masked burglars who broke into his flat on Sunnymead Road in Yardley at around 9pm on Tuesday 11 January. |
| 13.01.11 Hockley Factory Blaze |
| A derelict two storey factory on Sloane Street in Hockley was completely destroyed by a fire that began at around 8pm on Tuesday 11 January. Over 30 fire-fighters battled to contain the blaze which took more than 12 hours to put out. |
| 13.01.11 Eaton Electric Axes Jobs |
| Eaton Electric will axe up to 130 jobs at its circuit breaker and switchgear plant on Reddings Lane in Tyseley as production is outsourced to Asia and eastern Europe. The Tyseley workforce will probably be reduced to around 120 by these cuts. |
| 12.01.11 Head-on Collision at Gravelly Hill |
| Fire crews cut two men from wreckage following a head-on collision between a car and van on the A5127 Gravelly Hill during the morning of Tuesday 11 January; both men sustained multiple injuries and were taken to the QE Hospital in Edgbaston. |
| 12.01.11 TB Death at Birmingham Children's Hospital |
| A 15 year-old girl, who attended Golden Hillock School in Sparkbrook, died of tuberculosis at Birmingham Children's Hospital on Thursday 6 January. |
| 11.01.11 Easyjet Fuel Overload at Brum Airport |
| An Easyjet flight scheduled to travel from Birmingham Airport to Geneva on Boxing Day was so overloaded with fuel that it could not take-off without 37 passengers being removed. 7 volunteers and the last 30 passengers to check-in were taken off. |
| 11.01.11 New Retirement Village for Edgbaston |
| Plans for a retirement village for the over 55's on the Hagley Road in Edgbaston have been submitted; the village will contain 240 flats centred on a public space with a shop, bar, library, restaurant, social club, hairdressing salon and activity room; 50% of the units will be owner-occupied; 30% will be shared ownership and 20% will be affordable rentals. Six 3-storey Victorian houses will be demolished to make room for the village and 116 trees will be felled. |
| 11.01.11 Drugs Raid in Warstock |
| The police raided a house on Arundel Road in Warstock at around 7pm on Wednesday 5 January; they seized 20 cannabis plants and arrested a 23 year-old man on suspicion of drugs offences. |
| 10.01.11 Free School Application at Whitehouse Common |
| Parent sponsors have filed an application for a free school at a 5-bedroom house on Lindridge Road in the Whitehouse Common area of Sutton Coldfield. If approved the school will provide 24 places for young adults with autism, learning difficulties and challenging behaviour and the house will be converted into three classrooms and other school facilities. |
| 10.01.11 Birmingham Rep Closes for Refurbishment |
| The Birmingham Rep on Centenary Square closed on Saturday 8 January for a two year refurbishment programme; the theatre will be integrated with the new City of Birmingham Library which is due to open in 2013; the two buildings will be connected at ground-floor and mezzanine level and will share bars, restaurants, a foyer, 300-seat theatre and external amphitheatre. |
| 09.01.11 Boiler Breakdown at Warren Farm School |
| Children have been sent home from Warren Farm Primary School on Aylesbury Crescent in Kingstanding because of a faulty boiler. The school shut for two days before Christmas and for several more days in January because its classrooms could not be heated. Temporary mobile heaters have been installed but the necessary gas bottles have not been supplied. |
| 09.01.11 Crowd Control at Alum Rock Supermarket |
| Police were called to the A1 Supermarket on Alum Rock Road after hundreds of shoppers crowded into its winter sale on Thursday 6 January. The sale was suspended at 2.30 pm but the store re-opened on Friday 7 January with 30 security guards to marshal the queues. |
| 08.01.11 New Quangos for West Midlands |
| It appears that the Coalition Government is abolishing the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands only to replace it with several new quangos called local enterprise partnerships, one of which will be the Birmingham, Solihull and East Staffordshire Partnership. According to Steve McCabe, the Labour MP for Selly Oak, this is costly restructuring that won't help the economy. |
| 08.01.11 Mayoral Referendum in May 2011 |
| A local referendum on whether Birmingham should be represented by a directly-elected mayor will be held in May 2011. The Prime Minister David Cameron believes that directly-elected mayors with "clout and passion" will make change happen and help boost regional economic growth. |
| 07.01.11 Hurst Street Cafe Manager Admits Assault |
| The 40-year-old ex-manager of Mr Egg, a late night cafe on Hurst Street, has admitted at Birmingham Crown Court that he assaulted 7 customers by spraying them with concentrated vinegar. The incident occurred during the early hours of Sunday 29 November 2009; the cafe subsequently closed but has since reopened under new management as the Chicken Cottage. |
| 07.01.11 Birmingham Bids for Euro Pride |
| The organisers of Birmingham Pride, which is held annually during the last weekend in May, plan to twin their festival with Berlin Pride in 2011 and are bidding to stage Euro Pride in 2014. |
| 06.01.11 Police Arrest Nechells Nursery Assistant |
| A 20 year-old man employed by the Little Stars Nursery at the old bathhouse on Nechells Park Road was arrested on suspicion of child abuse during the early hours of Wednesday 5 January. |
| 06.01.11 Coroner Hears Evidence of Highcroft Hospital Escape |
| Birmingham Coroners Court has heard evidence that a 26-year-old man from Coppice Close in Erdington, who was suffering from schizophrenia and who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, managed to escape from Highcroft Hospital through a faulty door on 30 November 2009. He was found dead the following day having consumed a quantity of alcohol equivalent to four times the drink-drive limit. |
| 05.01.11: Man Threatens Suicide on Hurst Street |
| A man threatened to jump from a multi-storey car park at the corner of Hurst Street and Kent Street in the Southside area of central Birmingham at around 3pm on Tuesday 4 January. Police negotiators persuaded the man to come down at around 5.45pm. Around 50 motorists were unable to collect their vehicles during the incident. |
| 05.01.11: Robbers Stab Taxi Driver in Erdington |
| A 54 year-old private hire taxi driver was stabbed in the knee during an attempted robbery by two men in their twenties whom he picked up on Hawkesdale Road in the Gravelly Hill area of Erdington at around 5.15 pm on Friday 31 December. The thieves attacked the cabbie on the Oval, barely 200 metres from the pick-up point, but fled empty-handed after he refused to give them money. |
| 04.01.11: Lack of Quality Sports Pitches in Brum |
| Consultants have inspected over 700 rugby, football and cricket council pitches in Birmingham and concluded that over one-third require urgent improvement. Many do not have changing rooms and boundaries are often unmarked. |
| 04.01.11: Cash for New Public Art in Bullring |
| The Conservation and Heritage Panel is considering a suggestion that a statue of Lady Hamilton should be installed opposite the Nelson Memorial on the terrace above St Martins Square in the Bullring. £100,000 will be available for public art when the Spiral Cafe is demolished and replaced by three new restaurants. |
| 03.01.11: Birmingham Sculptor Honoured by Blue Plaque |
| A blue plaque dedicated to the Birmingham sculptor William Bloye (1890-1875) has been unveiled at at his former studio on the Golden Hillock Campus of City College in Small Heath. Bloye created numerous landmark sculptures in Birmingham including the (Golden Boys) statue of Boulton Watt and Murdoch on Broad Street and the Mermaid Fountain at the Guild of Students in Edgbaston. There are now around 75 blue plaques in Birmingham; they may only be dedicated to a person who has been dead for over 20 years. |
| 03.01.11: Three Hospitalised in St Chads Circus Crash |
| Three people were hospitalised with serious injuries after a car hit a black cab and then crashed into a bus on St Chads Circus in Birmingham city centre at around 1am on Saturday 1 January. |
| 02.01.11: Pedestrian Killed in Five Ways |
| A 26 year-old pedestrian was hit by a car on Islington Row Middleway in the Five Ways area of Edgbaston at around 2am on Saturday 1 January. He was rushed to City Hospital but was certified dead on arrival. |
| 02.01.11: Brum Medal Maker Wins Order of St John Contract |
| The medal makers Gladman and Norman, who are based on Tenby Street North in the Jewellery Quarter, have won a contract to manufacture insignia for the Order of St John, a major international charity which, amongst other things, runs the St John Ambulance service. |
| 01.01.11: Moseley Road Baths Saved |
| Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath have been saved from closure now that the council has provided emergency funding of £75,000 to repair a lintel supporting a wall and fire exit. The baths are a grade II listed Edwardian building; however, only one of the two swimming pools is currently in use. |
| 01.01.11: Kings Heath Library Closes for Repairs |
| Kings Heath Library on Kings Heath High Street has temporarily closed for roof repairs; the library is a listed Edwardian building whose wooden skylights are in danger of collapsing; however, the council cannot afford £300,000 to install exact replicas and so has opted for the cheaper (£55,000) alternative of supporting the roof with permanent scaffolding disguised by a false ceiling. The council is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain its historic buildings; another listed library, Hawthorn House in Handsworth Wood (1764), has permanently closed. |
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