British Men Killed In Florida By Car Racer

Two British men have been killed in Florida when an illegal road racer lost control of his car and mounted the kerb. Police said two sports cars were racing along the seafront in Fort Lauderdale in the early hours of Friday. Businessmen Craig Elford, from Banbury, Oxon, and Kenneth Watkinson, who lived near Leamington Spa, Warks, were hit by one of the cars. The men were walking back to their hotel when the accident happened. Police said no arrests have been made.

Four In Court Over Crash Death

Four men have been charged in connection with the death of a woman who was hit by a car in Lancashire. Mother-of-three Amanda Bailey, 33, died in hospital after being hit on Leeds Road in Nelson on 11 February. The four men have been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, police said. The accused, aged 18, 19, 23 and 24, will appear before Burnley Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Man Jailed For Supplying Heroin

A man who supplied heroin to three schoolgirls has been jailed for 28 months. Darren Richardson, 28, of Thistle Street, Galashiels, admitted giving the drug to two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old between June and October last year. Selkirk Sheriff Court heard how the girls visited his home where they took the heroin and fell ill as a result. Sheriff Jamie Gilmour said the court took a serious view of irresponsible behaviour towards vulnerable children. Richardson also admitted stealing tools and a generator worth £600 from a van in Galashiels, on 15 June last year, and breaching a probation order.

Man Stabbed During Fight

A 27-year-old man has been stabbed in the neck in Manchester. Officers were called to a fight between a group on men on Chapman Street in Gorton at 6.50am. The victim is being treated in hospital for his injuries, the severity of which is not yet known. Nobody else was injured during the incident, said police. Chapman Street has been closed while officers investigate the scene.

Powering Ahead With Perthshire Hydro Scheme

A hydro electric scheme, capable of powering up to 700 homes, has been given the go ahead by Scottish Ministers. The run of river station, at Inverar in North Perthshire, will have an installed capacity of 1.2 Megawatts (MW). Energy Minister Jim Mather said: "This decision is further evidence of how we are working to turn Scotland's diverse renewable energy potential into reality. Our economic recovery programme identifies the renewables sector as a key strength of our economy and one which can play a crucial role in helping Scotland through the current downturn." Inverar Hydro Ltd applied for consent to construct and operate the run-of-river scheme in July 2007. The proposal has been subject to a wide-ranging consultation.

Consultation On Dormant Bank Accounts

The Government today launched a consultation document on secondary legislation to establish a UK dormant accounts scheme. Subject to responses, the Government will introduce the secondary legislation in Parliament later this year. Many people forget about, or lose track of, small deposits of money in bank and building society accounts. Despite the efforts of banks and building societies to reunite these funds with their owners, they build up as unclaimed assets in the banking system. The consultation document sets out draft secondary legislation to extend the scope of the Financial Services Authority's regulation to include dormant accounts reclaim funds.

(JM/BMcC)