Coventry Telegraph

SHOPLIFTING HOTSPOTS REVEALED

> RICHARD AULT REPORTS:

STATE OF PAVEMENTS IN THE CITY UNDER FIRE

MORE should be done to tackle the state of Coventry’s pavements according to councillors who are being inundated with complaints. The call comes despite the city council being granted a ‘green’ award for the way it has dealt with the area’s...

Colourful life of Cov market trader with ‘gift of the gab’

‘I HAVE the gift of the gab,’ says Terry Payne, flashing a grin as he proudly displays his vibrant collection of rugs at Coventry Market. Whether charming customers with his humour or mastering every twist of his business journey, his larger-than-life...

Planning row goes on after demolition of former city bank

FRUSTRATED Earlsdon residents who have been waiting more than a year for action to be taken following the unlawful demolition of a former bank have been told there is no end in sight to the planning saga. Scaffolding and hoardings hide the carcass of...

GAP BETWEEN COV’S RICHEST & POOREST IS GROWING

THE gap between Coventry and Warwickshire’s richest and poorest neighbourhoods is growing, with those at the top having over £21,000 more to spend a year than those at the bottom. Households in the Leamington West & Milverton neighbourhood of Warwick...

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SCHOOLS FACING FINANCIAL STRAIN

A MEETING is being set-up between concerned teachers and Treasury big wigs to highlight the financial strain facing schools across Coventry. Members of the city council’s cabinet were told of the plans after it was explained that staff at many schools...

PLAYING ON ICE WARNING AFTER TRAGEDY

chiefs have issued a Coventrywide plea about the dangers of playing on ice as wintry weather continues to grip our area. It comes following the still ‘real and raw’ tragic loss of four young lives at Babbs Mill Park Lake in Solihull back in...

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Figures reveal most dangerous streets in 2025

crime figures have shown where Coventry’s most dangerous streets of 2025 are. These are the areas of Coventry, ranked from least to most in terms of the number of ‘violence and sexual offences’ happening on their streets. West Midlands Police...

SHOCK LIST OF ITEMS SEIZED IN STOP & SEARCHES

AXES were among a shocking list of 1,400 items seized by police ‘stop and searches’ across Coventry and West Midlands. There were also imitation firearms and extendable batons taken off people across the region after officers stopped them. West...

THE MAJOR CHANGES TO COV IN 2026

BUDDING councillors keen on standing in May’s Coventry City Council elections can now pick up tips from a booklet aimed at guiding them through the process. The 20-page pamphlet explains everything from securing a nomination through to how the council...

COV’S MOST ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AREAS REVEALED

LATEST figures have shown where Coventry’s most “anti-social” areas are. West Midlands Police define antisocial behaviour as “behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household...

CITY PARKS TARGETED BY POLICE

POLICE have released a list of the parks they are patrolling across Coventry in a bid to stop any incidents from ‘escalating or happening.’ In their latest community update, the Stoke and Wyken local policing team have highlighted the areas where they...

HUNDREDS OF DRIVERS STOPPED BY POLICE

HUNDREDS of Coventry drivers have been stopped and checked by police to see if they had been drinking before getting behind the wheel. West Midlands Police launched a huge crackdown on drug and drink driving in a bid to improve road safety. Recently...

SEVEN AREAS COUNCIL PLANS TO TACKLE

COVENTRY City Council has outlined seven areas of priority to invest in in 2026. For the first time in 15 years the council believes it will be able to balance the books for the upcoming financial year. And with no cuts to services proposed, there is...

RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT OVER BUS GATE FINES

NEARLY 12,000 fines have been issued from a bus gate that’s only been in operation since October of this year - and some readers are angry at the confusion caused by recent changes to the city centre roads. The bus gate on Greyfriars Road came into...

£900,000 THROWN AWAY WITH THE TRASH

FINES of nearly £1m have been slapped on Coventry City Council because residents are putting the wrong rubbish in their bins. The matter was raised by Tory group leader Cllr Gary Ridley at this week’s cabinet meeting. In a finance report covering the...

NEW BUS GATE TRAPS 440 MOTORISTS EVERY DAY

COVENTRY has a new bus gate – and it’s already caught out thousands of drivers. The bus gate, on Greyfriars Road, has only been operational since October, with fines issued from Monday, November 10. But since then a total of 11,924 penalty notices...

COV’S MARKET TRADERS TO GET EXTRA HELP

COVENTRY’S market traders are to be given extra financial support from the city council who have also outlined a list of measures to improve the area that has been blighted by the ongoing redevelopment of City Centre South. The £450m scheme is set to...

GOLF COURSE TO BECOME NATURE RESERVE

BRANDON Wood Golf Course is set to become a nature reserve with rich wildlife habitats as part of a new project. Plans would see the 64-hectare site linked with surrounding land to create more than 350 hectares of natural ecosystems and...

HEARTBREAK OF HOMELESS ON STREETS

SHOCKING figures show that almost 150 people are facing Christmas on the streets in Coventry and Warwickshire. The latest government figures reveal that a record number of people are thought to be sleeping on the streets. And the situation is...

CITY STREET WHERE 56 DRIVERS A DAY ARE FINED

THE Coventry street with the most bus lane fines in 2025 has been revealed. Cameras at the city centre junction where Hales Street meets The Burges caught over 17,000 infringements in the bus lane - resulting in a huge cost of nearly £400,000. The...

COV STREETS TO GET NEW PARKING RULES

> CLAIRE HARRISON REPORTS:

SOLAR FARM NEAR COV GETS G0-AHEAD

A ‘LANDMARK ‘grey belt’ planning decision has been made for a solar farm on land on Coventry’s doorstep. Enviromena, the Uk-based independent power producer, has announced that it has secured approval for its proposed 40MW Fillongley Solar Farm. It...

CALLS TO TAKE DOWN CITY FLAGS

A NEW petition demands that flags are removed from the streets of Coventry. It calls on the city council to remove the England, St George and Union flags that have been raised across the city. In the petition, which has been filed with the local...

NEARLY 3,000 REFUGEES & ASYLUM SEEKERS IN COV

NEARLY 3,000 asylum seekers and refugees are currently living in Coventry, new figures have revealed. Data from the Home Office shows that the city ranks sixth in the UK for new arrivals, including those from Ukraine and Afghanistan. We uncovered...

£420,000Terms SPENT ON CITY SPEED CAMERAS

MORE than £420,000 has been spent on installing new speed cameras in Coventry. Councillors said the chosen city locations had a history of traffic collisions and high rates of speeding. Cameras were installed on Moseley Avenue, Four Pounds Avenue,...

OWNERS OF DERELICT STADIUM TO SUBMIT NEW PLANS FOR SITE

THE owners of a Coventry stadium which has sat derelict for almost 10 years say they are ‘committed to finding a viable future for the site.’ Brandon Estates, which owns Brandon Stadium - also known as Coventry Stadium - on the outskirts of the city...

HEARTFELT PLEA OVER E-BIKES AFTER BLAZE TRAGEDY

SHOPPERS are being warned about the dangers of modified e-bikes ahead of Christmas. Couple Natasha Johnson-mall and Karlo Bogdan were killed in a blaze caused by a faulty battery in November 2024. Natasha, Karlo, and their two dogs died when a major...

CALL TO HELP STRUGGLING MARKET TRADERS

COVENTRY City Council has come under further pressure to give more support to market traders who say they are struggling to attract customers due to the impact of the £450million City Centre South regeneration. Just days after a protest was held in...

GIGAFACTORY GO-AHEAD ON AIRPORT SITE

NEW PLANS FOR DERELICT COVENTRY STADIUM

THE owners of a derelict Coventry stadium are preparing to submit a new planning application, according to reports. It’s now been almost 10 years since Brandon Stadium closed permanently in 2016. Numerous planning applications have been submitted...

THE SCHOOLS CROWNED BEST IN MIDLANDS

SCHOOLS across Coventry and Warwickshire are celebrating being named among the best in the West Midlands. They have been named in the Sunday Times Parent Power 2026 Guide. A national title has been taken by St Mary’s RC Primary School, in Henley in...

Dozens of cyclists injured on roads over the last year

ALMOST a hundred cyclists have been injured on Warwickshire’s roads over the last year - more than one every four days - according to new figures. Data from Warwickshire Police shows that 99 cyclists were injured in the 2024/2025 financial year. Of...

CARS BANNED FROM CITY STREETS

A PERMANENT ban on cars at certain times of day in part of a new ‘pedestrian and cycle zone’ for streets by Coventry’s Broadgate and the cathedral has started. We previously reported that an ‘experimental traffic order’ was brought into force last...

DOZENS CLAIM OVER CITY POTHOLES

MORE than 180 drivers have submitted claims for potholerelated damage in Coventry. Thousands of pounds in compensation have been paid out by Coventry City Council. Since 2022, Coventry City Council has paid over £50,000 to motorists whose vehicles...

APPEAL TO CITY HOUSEHOLDS MISSING OUT ON COUNCIL TAX HELP

MANY households across Coventry are paying more council tax than they need to, according to the city council’s head of revenues and benefits. And although nearly 24,000 homeowners benefit from council tax support at a cost to the council of £28m every...

COV LEADS WAY IN MAJOR UK DRONE PROJECT

COVENTRY City Council is spearheading an initiative to prepare the way for drone and air taxi operations in the UK. Urban Ascent will bring together leading organisations in research and technology to design sustainable drone systems. Work is...

BOOST FOR SCHEME AIMING TO REVITALISE CITY PARKS & GARDENS

A SCHEME aiming to revitalise Coventry’s parks, create new community gardens and offer children the chance to get close up to nature through the creation of school allotments has been given a boost in plans announced by West Midlands mayor Richard...

FLAT BLOCK TO BE DEMOLISHED

of a Coventry flat block are set to be rehoused ahead of a major redevelopment project. Paradise House on Eden Street in Foleshill will soon be demolished. Citizen Housing, which owns Paradise House, announced that the building will be bulldozed...

MORE STRIKE ACTION TO HIT COV SCHOOL

MORE TRAFFIC FEARS AT CITY’S ‘DANGEROUS’ ROUNDABOUT

COVENTRY Council is working on ways to make a notorious roundabout safer - but admitted finding a solution was ‘challenging’ amid a potential increase in traffic. The spot in question, known locally as the Mount Pleasant roundabout, is at the junction...

COV TRAGEDY LEADS TO FIRE SAFETY PLEA

WEST Midlands Fire Service has launched a major safety campaign after a young couple died in Coventry. Natasha Johnson-mall and Karlo Bogdan were killed when a lithium-ion battery exploded at their home in Stoke Aldermoor. Now, the service has...

BIG RISE IN YOUNG OUT OF WORK

THE number of young people claiming unemployment benefits has soared across Coventry and Warwickshire since Labour came to power - even as the overall number of claimants has fallen. An estimated 24,565 people of all ages were receiving unemployment...

CALL FOR E-BIKE CRACKDOWN

need to be made aware of the dangers of e-bikes and e-scooters before buying them as Christmas presents. That is the message from Coventry councillors who are set to launch a PR campaign ahead of the festivities. The matter was raised at a city...

FULL STEAM AHEAD TO TRANSFORM THE CITY

BIG RISE IN ATTACKS ON COUNCIL STAFF

THE design, layout and location of a derelict hotel make it an easy target for vandals after Coventry City Council admitted there are ‘significant security challenges’. Allesley Hotel on Birmingham Road has been closed since 2022. Since then it has...

CITY ONE OF WORST FOR PAYING COUNCIL TAX ON TIME

COVENTRY is one of the worst areas in the country for people paying their council tax on time according to figures released by the city council. And some of that could be a hangover from the Covid pandemic when people got out of the habit of...

UNION ISSUES WARNING OVER EQUAL PAY BILL

THE GMB Union which represents workers across Coventry City Council has warned the authority could face an equal pay liability totalling tens of millions of pounds. They say that the council faces hundreds of equal pay claims from women after alleged...

You get chance to have your say on new housing plans

COVENTRY residents will get their chance to help shape a far-reaching blueprint that will set out where thousands of new homes and workplaces should be built in the West Midlands over the coming decades. A six-week consultation has been launched so...

CALL FOR COV TAXI RANK CHANGES

A COVENTRY taxi driver has criticised a city council decision to do a U-turn on plans to create a new rank in The Burges/cross Cheaping. The decision was announced in spite of more than 1,600 people signing a petition calling for the change. Major...

EIGHT STREETS TARGETED BY CAR THIEVES

CARS have reportedly been burgled in a spate of break-ins across Coventry. Thieves have been operating in Radford and Longford. Vehicles across the city have had items stolen in recent days, according to Coventry Police. Streets recently targeted...

FINAL PHASE OF HUGE REGENERATION PROJECT IN CITY

WORK has begun on the final phase of a £200m regeneration project in Coventry. More than 1,000 new homes have already been completed in Wood End, Manor Farm and Henley Green. Delivered by Keepmoat, the latest phase of the Spirit Quarters development...

RESIDENTS CALL FOR MAST PLAN TO BE REJECTED

LOCALS are demanding that plans for a 20m phone mast in a cherished conservation area in Coventry should be rejected. They say they want to preserve the Earlsdon Conservation Area. This was set-up to preserve the special architectural and historical...

DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.

Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light. SCAN THIS QR CODE and complete the survey to #defendyourrighttoknow

COUPLE ‘LOSE EVERYTHING’ IN DEVASTATING FIREWORK BLAZE

A COVENTRY family whose home was destroyed in a major firework blaze say they have ‘lost everything.’ Businessman Mohsen Mahmoudi and his family returned to their home one evening to find it completely gutted. Friend Monica Chumber said the family of...

LITTER-BUGS MAY BE FORCED TO PICK UP RUBBISH

WASTE awareness courses, mandatory litter-picking and covert surveillance are among a list of measures being considered in the fight to reduce fly-tipping and litter across Coventry. Officers are also looking into having a member of the enforcement...

POLICE ISSUE ADVICE AFTER SPATE OF CITY BURGLARIES

POLICE are investigating a series of burglaries in Coventry. Homes in Walsgrave, Bell Green, and Chapelfields have recently been targeted. Burglars broke into a property on The Kintyre in Walsgrave at around 8.20pm on Friday, October...

RESIDENTS HIT OUT AT CYCLEWAY WORK IN CITY

WORK that started on the Clifford Bridge Road section of the new Binley cycleway is causing misery, say residents living there. Vibrations from drills are knocking ornaments off shelves, with residents working from home said to be left in “absolute...

CITY GROUP’S RELUCTANT DECISION OVER BATHS DEMOLITION

A PRESSURE group tasked with preserving and promoting Coventry’s heritage and history will not fight any plans to demolish the abandoned swimming baths which have been empty for five years. But they want a number of guarantees from the city council...

CRACKDOWN ON CITY FLY-TIPPING

> JASPREET KAUR REPORTS:

GREEN LIGHT FOR MAJOR CITY REVAMP

COVENTRY City Council has approved a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ to revamp Spon End with the building of more than 700 homes and businesses together with a plan to landscape the area around the River Sherbourne. A number of councillors flagged...

CITY’S NEW STREET LIGHTS SET FOR SWITCH-ON

NOVEMBER will see the first of Coventry’s new LED streetlights installed, with the city centre’s St Michaels ward the first on the list. Council chiefs expect the rollout to continue until August 2027. A report to the city council’s communities and...

CALLS FOR HGV BAN, CCTV AND PLAY EQUIPMENT

REQUESTS for play equipment, a ban of HGVS and the installation of CCTV to crack down on anti-social behaviour were among the subjects of petitions presented to Coventry City Council at its full council meeting. The matters will now be passed on to...

CALL FOR MORE TO BE DONE OVER FLY-TIPPING

A HUGE leap in the number of fly-tipping incidents across Coventry has prompted a call for more to be done. The latest figures show that there were 2,191 cases in April, May and June this year compared to 6,428 across the previous 12 months. At a...

POLITICAL ROW OVER RENTAL PLAN FOR STUDENT VILLAGE

A ‘DARK DAY in Coventry’s history’ was how one councillor summed up a heated discussion around plans to let non-students rent rooms in a city centre student village. And it could see a change in the rules ahead of future meetings. The debate took...

NEW SHOPS PLAN FOR OLD IKEA BUILDING

SOME of the former Coventry IKEA building is set to be converted into retail space as part of efforts to ‘future-proof’ the major project. It is currently being transformed into the City Centre Cultural Gateway. Plans submitted to Coventry City...

POLICE TARGET PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR NEAR FLATS

have raised concerns about street drinking and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in and around a Coventry block of flats. Falkener House, off Stoney Stanton Road, can be seen for miles around the city and sits across the street from a police...

CASH BOOST FOR FUTURE OF MUSEUMS

CULTURAL venues across Coventry have received a boost thanks to a £20 million grant to support the long-term futures of museums nationwide. Culture Coventry has gained a £384,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Museum Renewal Fund. The investment...

CASH BOOST TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS

COVENTRY has received nearly £900,000 in funding to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. It will fund a range of initiatives focused on helping vulnerable individuals find stable housing. Money will be used to support families in temporary...

HUGE HOMES AND SHOP PLAN SET TO GET GO-AHEAD

HUGE plans to change the face of an area of Coventry with almost 700 homes and shops look set to be given the goahead. They form part of the major regeneration of Spon End. Planning officers are recommending that proposals for land between Upper Spon...