Thanks to the Government making pretty mad eco-rules, we’ve got to stick loads of these up. This one is gonna be massive, it’s taller than Lichfield Cathedral and will be right next to Hammerwich. It’s gonna be bloody lovely.

Locals have already formed an alliance against the turbine, with original plans being overturned during 2011. We spoke to a local, who did not want to be named..

This isn’t Windy Miller. This is a tall turbine that you’ll be able to see as you come through Burntwood. Imagine waking up to hear that thing going ‘whoop whoop whoop’

Meanwhile, South Staffs Water are pressing on with their plans.

I don’t know why Burntwood residents are mouthing off, this will be providing electric for Lichfield residents anyway

As the buy rounded a bend a group of men riding off-road bikes came around the corner at speed and knocked him off. Although he wasn’t injured, we’d like to ask if anyone saw these people as they didn’t even bother stopping. That, if we’re honest, is a bit shitty.

Call Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 4455 quoting incident number 758 if you have any info, or go to the Staffordshire Police website for more info.

Jack Semple, Policy Director at the Road Haulage Association stated that, “The problem is it can’t attract enough traffic and at the same time there’s congestion on the other road”, but stopped short of saying, “Perhaps it’s the fact that you have to remortgage your house every month to use it”.

Midland Expressway, operators of the M6 Toll, continued to sit in the corner with their fingers in their ears, shouting “Nerr nerr nerr, can’t hear you.. Nerr nerr nerr..”.

Doctors were called when one M6 Toll Executive mentioned that “£53 to use it back and forth to work for a week is a good deal, I don’t see your problem.”

Burntwood residents still try to avoid the M6 Toll, however we spoke to a driver who was leaving the road..

I just came back from Birmingham Airport. I’ve only used it once this month, I swear. I’m trying to cut down, but it’s hard. The smooth, smooth tarmac and absolute lack of traffic… it’s just.. so… addictive..

Another driver told us that ..

I know a guy who did ‘the Toll’ 5 days a week. He had to sell his house recently to pay for it all. It’s terrible. He’s on a Government programme now to try and get off it. It’s like a drug. He tries to drive down the M42 at night, just to get the same ‘kick’, but it’s not the same.

Certain local residents were quoted as being “disgusted” at the state of the roads and seemed to expect the council to drive up and down every single road, street and cul-de-sac in the area 24-hours a day to monitor the appearance of pot-holes.

The residents also complained about the damage being done to cars, with suspension and wheel damage being caused by the potholes. They have argued that it’s impossible to see potholes at night, despite the invention of electric light and headlights being fitted to vehicles as standard. One resident who complained to the Burntwood Post stated…

“I was on the way home, it was dark and I went straight into a pothole. It knocked the beer and mobile phone out of my hand. It’s disgusting, they should be doing something about this.”

We would like to apologise to Midland Expressway Limited for inferring that their constant price increases are “idiotic”, “mental” and for calling them a “bunch of pissed-up crazies who know that people will be forced to pay no matter how much it costs because having your wallet ripped out is marginally better than sitting on the M6 for three hours and having to pee in your lucozade bottle”.

Despite rising fuel costs and hefty austerity measures imposed by the Government we’d like to applaud the M6 Toll for increasing prices in these hard times and would be happy to drive down their motorway at any time of the day.. because it’s usually empty.

We spoke to a Government spokesman who told us…

“Following the recent news that white children will be a minority in Birmingham we realised that this country isn’t big enough for the continuing immigration of people from other countries. Then, after the fifth pint, we all figured that bulldozing the forests of the UK would sort it. It’s f**kin’ genius I tell you.”

Locals are being advised to visit SaveCannockChase.org.uk to fight the proposed plans, which are currently at the consultation stage.

Unfortunately the size of the tree has shocked many residents. It measures a full 2″ in height and was delivered in a plastic bag in the dead of night. By contrast the tree on Swan Island, funded by contributions to The Rotary Club of Burntwood is several feet higher and has hundreds of lights.

Lichfield, meanwhile, has just had a larger Christmas tree installed in the centre of the City. The 20″ high Norway Spruce has several hundred lights and a 4″ fence similar to the new fencing around the historic Minster Pool. There’s also large decorations around the shopping areas and festivities planned over the next month.

We asked a local Councillor why Burntwood had only been supplied with a tiny Christmas tree and a set of broken, knotted Christmas tree lights. He told us..

Burntwood? Where’s Burntwood? Ohh.. That.. No, it’s not small – this is actually quite a large tree. However we’ve been informed that it’s actually a bonsai tree. They’re quite special actually.

Meanwhile the local Rotary Club will be asking for your donations to the Burntwood Christmas Tree on Swan Island. Please give generously.

The “Campaign for Better Transport” has found that..

M6 Toll: bad for the West Midlands

• the toll road has failed to significantly cut congestion on the M6
• traffic which once used the toll is now returning, making congestion worse at peak times
• traffic has increased dramatically at either end of the toll, causing more congestion
• half a billion pounds of additional capacity is planned to relieve congestion on the M6 that the M6 Toll was supposed to deal with

M6 Toll: bad for drivers

• journey times on the M6 are only slightly better than before the toll opened
• outside of peak times, journeys on the M6 Toll are not much faster than on the M6
• average time savings were between 7 and 12 minutes in the opening year
• the cost of the toll has risen sharply each January, well above inflation
• the toll road’s operators are exploring ways to charge more at peak times

M6 Toll: bad for investors

• Midland Expressway Ltd has lost around £26 million a year since the toll opened
• revenue has been in steady decline, as traffic on the toll has been falling since 2006
• the toll road’s value has plummeted, from A$2.2bn in 2008 to A$412m in 2009
• even when the toll was busiest (when there were major roadworks on the M6), MEL was still losing millions of pounds a year

The Government have now set aside £500 million to fix the congestion problems that the M6 Toll should have fixed. The original cost to build the M6 Toll was almost £500 million. The value of the M6 Toll has dropped from £1.4 million in 2008 to £265 million in 2009.

A Government spokesman stated..

“We’ve got £500 million kicking around. We know that the M6 Toll is worth £265 million, but we want to spend the £500 million widening the M6 and putting cones all over the place to push people onto the M6 Toll”

TheBurntwoodBlog suggested that the Government could instead just buy the M6 Toll for around £300 million and even pay off the estimated £180 million that current owners, Midland Expressway, have lost. The spokesman responded with..

“Now, that’s a good idea. Could we still put some cones out though?”

The report shows that traffic on the M6 has returned to levels seen before the M6 Toll was opened in 2003 and traffic on the M6 Toll continues to fall year on year.

We spoke to a Burntwood farmer who told us..

“Three or four times a week I’m out on the field next to the M6 Toll. People try and sneak off the motorway through my field when they notice the price.”

Farmer Giles, who did not want to be named, has recently started offering a towing service…

“I’m right next to the Toll plaza here, so I just listen out for a car skidding to a halt. They usually try and go up the embankement to escape the booths but they always get stuck in the field. I just stroll over and yep, there’s another business-man stuck in the mud, fumbling around trying to get back on the M6 Toll or find £5 to pay the toll. I offer to pull their car out for £5000 or, if they refuse, I just point my gun at them and offer them £1000 instead.

I think most people using the Toll don’t know the value of money, because they usually chuck the cash into my bucket and I tow them out. Perhaps they think that I work for Midland Expressway.”

A spokesman for the M6 Toll told us that everything was fine and that we “shouldn’t worry”. Business “was brisk” and the M6 Toll was “a relief from the daily congestion of the M6″ and represented good “value for money”. However, the call was cut short after we overheard a voice say, “They don’t still believe that value for money crap do they?”

The proposed closure is at odds with Lichfield District Council, who have opposed the closure as it coincides with its cost-cutting bin collection merger with Tamworth. A local resident, who did not want to be named, stated..

“Lichfield DC are using less refuse trucks to save money and reduce their carbon emmisions. That’s good, yes? So how the frig does that weigh up with several hundred cars making a longer journey to Cannock, only to queue up at the already-full Poplars landfill ? That island is like a car-park at the weekend already. They all need their heads bashed together.”

Others have suggested other ways of saving money..

“If you want to save some cash, hows about sacking some of the cocks that make these decisions without discussing it with residents properly first?”

This “young girl” was snapped carrying a pizza. Local photographer Steve Smith stated..

“I’d got no clue what was happening. I only moved into Lichfield a few months back and someone mentioned the “Bower” but I’ve still got no idea what it is. I was out shopping when suddenly everyone decided to get drunk and sit around in the sun. I figured it was a good idea to have a few pints myself, and just took pictures of fit girls for most of the day. What a crackin’ day out.”

Apparently this girl was in the street carnival, but we have our doubts..