THERE was good news for residents living in Sandhills Road, Barnt Green. Bromsgrove Rural District Council agreed to pay the cost of connecting the road to mains water supplies at a fee of £1/17/3 (£1.86). However, the authority refused to pay for the drawing up of any agreement with the water supply company.

THE annual Brewster Sessions, held at the magistrates' court in Droitwich, heard that the Spa's population of 4,164 was served by 42 licensed premises, or one for every 99 inhabitants. During last year there had been just 35 drink-related cases brought before the bench as against 47 the previous year. This was broken down to 21 "simple drunkenness" cases and 14 drunk and disorderly charges.

THE number of medical staff employed at the Hill Top Isolation Hospital in Bromsgrove was to be cut to save cash. A meeting of the joint management committee heard that at present there were 17 staff looking after 44 patients. The matter was raised by board member, the Rev Stockdale, but was challenged by medical officer Dr Kidd. He said two nurses had been engaged for the past 18 weeks dealing with a difficult case of typhoid, while another patient suffering from diphtheria had occupied the time of yet another nurse. In any event, he concluded, the past 15 months had seen an unprecedented 195 patients admitted to the hospital.

A NUMBER of idle tramps, who had refused to do their allotted tasks in return for a night's board and lodging at the workhouse, appeared before Bromsgrove magistrates. Two, Herbert Billington, aged 38, said to be a cousin of the hangman, and John Spence, 32, were sentenced to 14 days' hard labour. Magistrates had already prejudged the pair before sentencing after being told that they had picked the locks in the cells at the workhouse.