THE Uniroyal factory at Stoke Works had been sold to Bayer UK in a deal worth £2.4m. All 136 staff would be kept on. The move gave Bayer its first major synthetic rubber plant in the UK.

BROMSGROVE farmer Ted Morris wanted to convert his land at Slideslow into an 18-hole golf course and driving range at a cost of £250,000. The district council looked set to approve the plan but felt it may jeopardise the new Local Plan now in the course of being drawn up.

PAROCHIAL church councils at Belbroughton and Fairfield agreed to depart from the usual practise of passing round the collection plate at services. Instead worshippers would put contributions on a plate by the door when leaving.

WORK had started to plug the leak in a stretch of the canal at Stoke Prior, which had been losing around 60,000 gallons per day. A dye was used to spot the leak, which was found to be in a 200-year-old wooden trunk culvert.

REFUSE collectors employed by Bromsgrove council, agreed to accept a bonus deal worth £65 to clear the backlog of rubbish from homes after the Christmas holidays. They had initially wanted £80.