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SPARKHILL

Mail INSIDE TODAYTHE CUBE: £75 million cube project has been put into administration meaning work has stopped for now PAGE 7SOME OF THE WORST GROWING CRIME:Mainly the gun crime that is being dealt with police is outrageous as there are many other crimes that have rapidly grown. PAGE 4VAT INCREASED TO 20% HITS LARGELY SPARKHILL: Local residents are finding it hard to keep up with the expenses they have to spend on their families. PAGE 9BOBS FISH BAR:Local fish and chip shop has broken the hygiene act and is set to be fined £5000. PAGE 12

FIRE BLAZE:Diversion on Stratford road and city centre has caused chaos for many residents and travellers due to fire blaze, early morning yester-day. PAGE 6SPARKHILL BATHS:Local MPs and residents are still deciding whether or not to re-open as health officials reveal the draw-backs that caused the closure of the leisure centre. Find out more on PAGE 5LOCAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE:Sparkhill warriors have once again gained a position in table after beating Aston FC and drawing against Nechells United. PAGE 15

HayaatSays:I want England to call up

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Over 200 new cameras causes ‘chaos’ for locals

Wednesday,September 22 2010 www.sparkhill-mail.net 50p

Sparkhill Police Station: Mohammed Harris Iqbal and his family are being questionedBy Qadir Tahir

Questions arise about whether to re-open the Sparkhill baths

Health and safety offi cials had shut the pool in July 2008 after a ceiling tile containing asbes-tos fell into the water. Closer inspection revealed far more of the substance plus widespread corrosion throughout the build-ing. This was very upsetting for the residents around Spark hill who used the gym facili-ties as well as many kids from schools using the swimming pool to stay healthy. The group had previously welcomed news that work has already begun on a new sauna and gym at the site and handed

over the petition to the city’s leisure boss on last Saturday. However that was not the case there had been a misunderstanding between the Birmingham City Council and the local MPs. Local MPs and residents want Birmingham City Coun-cil to keep the baths open and affordable to all so what they have done is gathered up and are trying to make decision whether to spend money in these hard hit fi nancial times. Some of the city council members have said that there is no real point of investing on a leisure centre that has been closed for more than two years.

It is heard from that rather spending on a deprived area we can invest in Birmingham’s main pool Moseley baths. However, with the help of the community and local MPs fi ghting for their area and pool fi nally there is some good news at last. ‘There will be £10 million pound investment for a brand new leisure centre with modern facilities’ stated the cabinet member Michael Provenzano . However, the let-down is that local community have to wait till 2012 for the baths to be completed. So, let’s wait and see what is done for us.

Sparkhill Mail: Wednesday 22 September PAGE 5

24-7Gym

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By Zahid Ali

The business student has been found safe and is in good condition

LEISURE: Shutters still down and are the government taking it serious

A business student who travelled to Pakistan to set up his ownbusiness had been kidnapped for a ransom in Pakistan, has been found. Mohammed Har-ris Iqbal, aged 25, had disap-peared on 15th September from his rent home in Sindh. He was kidnaped in the Sindh area of Pakistan by what is still being investigated by the West Midlands police of who did this. It was believed that when Mohammed Harris Iqbals sister try to get through TO his mobile phone a stranger had picked up and was asking for a ransom of £140,000 if he was to stay alive. A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Of-fi ce said that the British embassy offi cials in Pakistan are working closely with the Pakistani au-thorities.’’ His father stated that when they spoke to him he told us he was beaten up very severely and his family are left devastated as they have still not seen him. With the help of his colleagues and family he has fi nally been found safe and well in Pakistan. However, there is bad news for the family as thePakistani police believe that he had joined an Islamic extremist group and therefore police are working and taking this mat-ter very seriously and further investigation is still to be taken. Local police are also asking for other family to come forward.