Black Country and north Worcestershire evening news round-up

An extra £164,000 will be spent tackling potholes across the borough that have been caused by the recent severe weather.

The snow and ice has taken its toll on the roads and earlier this year, Dudley Council was given £238,000 to help deal with the problem.

Now, the Government has announced an extra £164,000 will be made available to the authority.

To read the full story click here.

A drink driver who was almost four times over the legal limit has been banned from the roads for 32 months.

Rachel Dorrell, aged 47, of Kinver Street, Wordsley, had 137mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath when she was caught behind the wheel in Wordsley, on February 22.

When tested, she had 137mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath. The legal limit is 35mcgs.

She was given a 12-month community order and must pay a £160 fine, a victim surcharge of £85 and £135 court costs.

To see who else has appeared in court click here.

Dudley Council has unveiled plans which could see overnight accommodation opened up for wedding guests at Himley Hall.

The rooms - which would be created by converting the former Laundry Block of the Grade II listed building - will also be available for use by business people visiting the borough during the week.

Separate plans are also being drawn up to turn a former stable block at the historic hall into luxury apartments to give people the opportunity to live in the scenic surroundings of the park.

To read more click here.

A drug dealer who was caught with a stash of heroin and cocaine after losing control of a stolen car and ploughing into two parked cars has been jailed for three years.

Afghan born Wakil Safi, who entered the UK illegally after spending time in ‘The Jungle’ in Calais, wrote off the one parked vehicle and caused over £2,000 damage to the second - Andrew Baker, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

He said Safi, of Roden Road, Oldbury, managed to escape from the grasp of the one car owner but he was quickly recaptured after trying to hide behind garages in the Black Country.

To read the full court report click here.

Lucky Cradley Heath neighbours woke up to good news after scooping the People’s Postcode Lottery’s daily prize after their address was drawn this morning (Monday March 19).

Five players from High Haden Road who entered the lottery with their lucky B64 7PW postcode have won the £1,000 jackpot, while one who played two tickets has doubled their winnings, and a seventh player in the street has tripled their winnings to £3,000.

To read more click here.

Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid has become the 5th government minister to receive a threatening letter offering rewards for the most violent attacks on Muslims.

Mr Javid, who became the Conservative Party's first Muslim MP in 2010, received the parcel, which also contained a 'sticky substance', at his parliamentary office on Thursday (March 15).

Police forces across the UK, including West Mercia, have launched a hate crime investigation into the letters, advertising a 'Punish a Muslim Day' on April 3, which appear to have been dispatched across the country.

To read the full story click here.

KFC has confirmed it will still serve children in school uniform at its Bromsgrove restaurant, but is taking action to tackle anti-social behaviour.

A post on social media page Spotted: Bromsgrove on Wednesday, March 14 claimed the local branch, located off the A38, had temporarily stopped serving anyone wearing a school uniform, following problems with children being 'disrespectful'.

But the fast food chain has since confirmed the ban will only extend to those involved in anti-social behaviour.

To read more click here.

A Redditch drugs kingpin has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after he was identified from a picture of him posing with ‘Gorilla Glue’ in his hand.

Elliot Morris, 28, was forensically linked to a gang who were supplying large amounts of cannabis in Wales after he posed for a picture with his ‘Ikea’ and ‘Skype’ branded drugs.

His parents, Darren and Dominique Morris, were also sentenced for their role in the gang, after police tracked a car transporting drugs from Wales to their address in Redditch.

To read the full story click here.

Determined volunteers at a Kidderminster attraction refused to let the weekend snow derail one of the biggest events in their calendar.

Severn Valley Railway enjoyed one of the biggest ever turnouts to its Spring Steam Gala, which took place on Sunday (March 18) thanks to the dedicated efforts of the helpers.

Hundreds of volunteers at the Railway battled through the snow and ice to make sure the much-anticipated Gala could go ahead as planned.

To read more click here.