A REDDITCH man has been jailed after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.

Steven Chinn, 36, who also admitted giving the girl drugs, was jailed for six years and four months when he appeared at Hereford Crown Court. Chinn, of Campden Close, Redditch, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with the girl between December 1 last year and April 1 this year, once in a motor vehicle.

To read the full story, visit the Redditch Advertiser website, here.

THE Black Country Living Museum's resident pet has been harbouring a rather 'purr-plexing' secret.

Fourteen years ago Tiger the cat turned up at the museum and wasted no time cosying up to the maintenance team. Roger Colbourne, who has been working at the museum for 27 years, quickly took a shine to Tiger and eventually the pair became inseparable.

To read the full story, visit the Dudley News website, here.

A MURDERER who killed a retired Bewdley teacher has been told he will spend the rest of his life behind bars after failing to prove his double life sentence breached his human rights.

The European Court of Justice threw out double murderer Stephen Farrow’s appeal against his punishment at a hearing on Tuesday (January 17). Homeless Farrow stabbed 77-year-old widow Betty Yates a number of times and battered her with a walking stick in her Bewdley cottage in January 2012.

To read the full story, visit the Shuttle website, here.

BOSSES at Birmingham Metropolitan College have announced they have selected a preferred developer for the long-derelict Longlands School site in Stourbridge.

After a series of meetings with potential buyers before Christmas - site owners BMet and Dudley Council, which also owns part of the old school land, say they have selected a developer to work. Discussions also took place with councillors and Stourbridge MP Margot James.

To read the full story, visit the Stourbridge News website, here.

MOTORISTS have been warned to steer clear of a notorious Halesowen traffic blackspot over the next six months.

Contractors started work on Monday at the Coombes Road, Haden Hill Road and Dudley Road junction in Halesowen. Thousands of motorists use the junction each day which has led Dudley Council to introduce improvements to ease traffic flow and reduce delays.

To read the full story, visit the Halesowen News website, here.

A TUMBLE dryer caught fire in a shed in Bromsgrove on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency services were alerted to the blaze on Abbey Close at around 2.40pm on Sunday, January 22. Firefighters from Bromsgrove Fire Station arrived to find the shed alight.

To read the full story, visit the Bromsgrove Advertiser, here.