COMEDIAN Ernie Wise was to officially open Bromsgrove's new Fine Fare supermarket in Market Street. And the well-known actor Gordon Jackson had promised to come to make the draw for a raffle for a holiday of a lifetime, courtesy of the store.

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THE widening of the ban on kerbside parking at Aston Fields had angered shopkeepers. But the council said the situation would be reviewed once the eastern by-pass was opened.

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DROITWICH pigeon fancier, Samuel Copson, reckoned the thieves who raided his loft in Wychbold were bird brains. Six of the 18 birds worth a total of £500 that had recently been stolen had found their way back home.

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HARRY Hodgson from Rose Hill was one of 15 finalists in the forthcoming Times newspaper crossword competition in London. He was fifth last year. But Harry was a bit out of practice. Industrial relations problems had meant the paper had not been published since November.

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BROMSGROVE'S scruffy Register Office in Wendron House, off Windsor Street, was a big turn off for couples wanting to get hitched and had been the cause of many complaints. At least one couple had refused to go ahead with their wedding after seeing the unkempt state of the building. The county council said it would spruce up the premises when it had cash to spare.