Josh Layton

The M5 between junctions 6 and 7 near Worcester was temporarily closed almost 20 times over the year, mainly for scheduled overnight maintenance. National Highways recorded 15 closures beginning after 8pm, along with two incidents involving people in distress and one vehicle fire. The authority said nighttime work and coordinated maintenance help protect road users while limiting disruption; traffic volumes on the route peaked at more than 60,000 vehicles per day southbound.

Richard Maurice Birch, 46, of Evesham, received an 18-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months after admitting four offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The offences involved poor-quality roofing work carried out in 2021 at two Evesham properties and one in Malvern while trading as Roofing Repairs and My Roofing Company Ltd. He was also ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and pay £7,467.63 in prosecution costs, having already paid £4,945 in compensation. Although his counsel cited genuine remorse and a clean record over the previous five years, Judge Lockhart said Birch had learned nothing from an earlier suspended sentence and remained at enormous risk of reoffending.

Coffee & More owner Seamus Keane shared CCTV images of a man and woman who allegedly left the Pershore café without paying a £31 bill for drinks and two full breakfasts. Keane said he wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and invited them to return and pay, adding that he would remove the images if the nonpayment was a genuine mistake. He did not report the incident to police.

West Mercia Police are appealing for information to locate 20-year-old Dylan Barker, who has links to Evesham and Birmingham and is wanted in connection with stalking. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 22/20791/26, or provide information anonymously through Crimestoppers.

Gloucestershire Constabulary and Evesham Police are appealing for information to locate Benjamin Clarke, a 40-year-old from Newnham in the Forest of Dean who was recently seen in Broadway, Worcestershire. Clarke is wanted on a warrant after failing to attend Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court and missing police and probation appointments. The public is advised not to approach him and to contact police instead.