News in brief

27th March 2007

A new material has been created to make bull bars safer - and the British firm behind it hopes the car industry will adopt it.

Concept Mouldings of Wolverhampton, W Mids, claims Endura FPS is the natural successor to protective bars. The composite material absorbs energy and shields pedestrians from hard parts at the front of vehicles, while still offering protection to the car in a crash.

RESIDENTS of a Scottish island are angry after Land Rover revealed a new colour for its cars - Stornoway Grey.

They say the name will damage the image of the Isle of Lewis town, leaving people with the impression that it was dull. And they have started a petition urging the firm to change it. But a Land Rover spokesman claimed its colours are named after "strong, authentic locations."

ONE OFf the fastest-accelerating cars ever goes under the hammer this week in the UK.

The 2.0-litre Dax Rush Turbo 4x4, built in 2002, is expected to fetch £25,000 at Brightwells' Classic Car Auction in Leominster, Herefordshire. It sprinted from 0-60mph in 2.48 seconds, but was disqualified from record books as too few were made for it to be considered a production model.

A COUNCIL has launched an investi­gation after traffic boss Keith Kerrison emailed a resident to say he was retiring and would do "absolutely nothing" about a parking complaint.

Paul Brown, from Halifax, W Yorks, revealed he was "gobsmacked" to get the note after calling about the number of cars on double yellow lines in his street. A spokesman for Calderdale Council said: "The response was totally unacceptable."

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