Two passengers died when a car taken for a test drive from racing driver Damon Hill's BMW Warwickshire showroom crashed.

Martin Gerald Coleman, aged 34, and 29-year-old Rebecca Louise Giddings, were killed when the #14,500 new blue Mini Cooper veered off the road and smashed into a tree.

It had been borrowed from the Warwick showroom by their friend, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who was driving towards Leamington when he crashed.

The driver, who was not named by police, was taken to Northampton General Hospital. Last night he was said to be in a serious condition.

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A lecturers' strike threatens to prevent hundreds of students getting their degrees this year at The University of Birmingham.

Lecturers at the university have voted to ballot for industrial action after pay dispute talks with managers broke down.

The university branch of the Association of University Teachers (BAUT) claims the institution has failed to address years of poor pay among academic staff.

University managers, however, say a new pay spine coming into force this month has boosted pay for some lecturers by up to 30 per cent.

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Conservative Party leader David Cameron is to star in a film promoting Birmingham's economic renaissance.

Mr Cameron was in Balsall Heath yesterday looking at examples of inner city renewal, in a visit described as private by Conservative Central Office.

But secretly, later in the day, Mr Cameron recorded his part in a video that will be shown to hundreds of the world's top regeneration experts at the MIPIM property fair in the South of France next month.

He agreed to take part following a request from Mike Whitby, the Conservative leader of Birmingham City Council.

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Plans for a new runway at a Midland airport still fail to address property blight and environmental impacts caused by the expansion, councillors have warned.

Solihull Council's Regeneration and Community Safety Scrutiny Board criticised a number of gaps in Birmingham International Airport's Draft Master Plan - aiming to extend the current runway and build a second to meet a predicted tripling of passenger demand over the next 25 years.

The Board will tell the Solihull cabinet of its "disappointment and concern" over the lack of detail and mitigation on public transport access and the effect on the already congested M42 of the 32 million passengers per year target by 2030.

Further, it was "extremely concerned" over a lack of detail on environmental impact and mitigation measures.

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Animal rights activists have claimed victory after the owners of a guinea pig breeding farm announced they had closed the business following a six-year hate campaign.

But their local MP said the closure would set back research into cures for cancer and other fatal diseases.

The Hall family is to stop breeding the animals at Darley Oaks Farm, in Newchurch, Staffordshire, after enduring death threats, hate mail, bomb hoaxes, arson attacks and the desecration of a relative's grave.

Police have responded to more than 460 incidents over the past three years.

See Saturday's Birmingham Post for more on these stories