#midlands

An angry middle aged white man in #Birmingham attacked several #Police officers after being prevented by the arrival of authorities from attacking a Black man he had cornered in his garden. He also threw boiling water at the Black man and a female Police officer (causing injury to both. It took multiple officers to arrest him (I'm surprised they didn't deploy Tasers, but maybe didn't have Taser trained units available) He pleaded guilty at #Court and got a 14 year sentence (will likely serve about 8-9 years inside) I couldn't find any previous for the offender, but this doesn't seem like normal behaviour at age 58 - I guess this is what these men mean by "take back are country?" #Crime #Midlands https://www.itv.com/news/central/2026-07-01/violent-thug-threw-boiling-water-over-police-officer-in-birmingham

#London Northwestern #Railway and West #Midlands Railway will return to public ownership on 1 February 2026, bringing all West Midlands #Trains services under government control. From that date, around half of all rail journeys overseen by Great #British #Railways will be run by publicly owned operators. The government says the move supports plans for a simpler, more integrated rail system with more reliable, affordable and better-connected services. The routes connect #Liverpool, #Birmingham, London and destinations across the West Midlands, supporting jobs, education and local #economies. West Midlands Trains becomes the fourth operator to transfer under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act, alongside a rail fare freeze. More than 8,500 publicly owned services now run each day, with official data showing stronger performance on punctuality and cancellations. Further transfers are planned as Great British Railways legislation progresses. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/london-northwestern-railway-and-west-midlands-railway-services-return-to-public-ownership