Mark Andrews

1 day ago | expressandstar.com | Mark Andrews

A car wash and valeting centre that opened without planning permission has been told it must close after failing to secure consent. Shak's Car Wash opened at the former Lazy Hill Garage in Walsall Wood Road, Aldridge, more than a year ago. A 42ft by 30ft canopy was erected over the forecourt, and a 4ft fence erected to shield the site from the road. Walsall Council began enforcement proceedings against the business for unauthorised change of use.

1 day ago | expressandstar.com | Mark Andrews

Figures show that almost two-thirds of drivers who take their tests at the centres in Featherstone and Wolverhampton will fail their tests, with the Wednesbury test centre performing only marginally better, with a pass rate of 35.8 per cent. The Featherstone test centre, in Cat and Kittens Lane, has fractionally the worst pass rate in the country, at 33.8 per cent, compared to 33.9 per cent for the Wolverhampton centre in Spring Road, Ettingshall.

1 day ago | expressandstar.com | Mark Andrews

The petition was launched last week after Councillor Damian Corfield called for Ben's Law, in memory of his son who was killed with his friend Liberty Charris when a modified Nissan Skyline driven by 54-year-old Dhiya Al-Maamoury ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians. The petition can be signed on the website https://chng.it/SxpmYB8gZJTwo other teenagers suffered life-changing injuries during the crash in November, 2022.

2 days ago | expressandstar.com | Mark Andrews

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565Temporary traffic lights were installed in Dudley Road, Blakenhall, yesterday, to allow for work being carried out by CityFibre. The work led to long traffic queues heading northbound into the city centre. Don’t miss any of the latest news and breaking stories from the West Midlands.

2 days ago | expressandstar.com | Mark Andrews

Double Tops Darts, run by 29-year-old Ryan Caves and 26-year-old Lauren Flavell, has been given permission to convert the former Raw Pet Foods shop in Long Lane, Halesowen, into a small pub with a darts room. However, Carl Mellor, head of planning at Dudley Council, issued a condition that it must close before midnight Monday to Saturday, and before 10pm on Sundays. The unit, set back behind a layby, had previously been used by Dudley Council as a housing office.