Morning everyone,

Here's your quick 3-minute rundown of what's actually happening locally this weekend.

🚨 Local News & Council Updates

Fly-tipping crackdown: Covert cameras deployed in the Aldridge and Barr Beacon areas have already caught out multiple offenders, with over 20 active investigations launched by the council this week.

Leisure Centre progress: Demolition of the old Haden Hill Leisure Centre is finally wrapping up, with the brand-new facility set to begin construction by the end of April.

Weekend weather: The Met Office is forecasting a mostly dry and mild weekend locally, with temperatures around 14°C to 16°C. Good weather for getting out, but keep an eye on standard spring showers Sunday.

🚧 Traffic & Travel

This weekend:

  • Walsall Road (A34): Overnight lane closures (7 PM–5 AM) tonight and tomorrow for the ongoing Sprint bus lane works

  • Birmingham Road: Lane closures remain active all weekend for emergency Cadent Gas repairs

Next week — plan ahead:

  • Newton Road: Severn Trent works (April 27–28), followed immediately by Openreach works (April 29–May 3). Expect daytime lane closures all week

  • Calshot Road: Full road closure Monday to Wednesday (April 27–29) for council tree pruning

  • Hawthorn Road: Temporary multi-way lights outside Morrisons on Wednesday (April 29) for bollard repairs

  • Queslett Road: Daytime lane closure (9:30 AM–3 PM) next Thursday (April 30) for Severn Trent

👉 Newton Road is going to be a headache all of next week. Leave early if you're heading towards Sandwell.

🎉 What's On This Weekend

  • Supersonic Festival (Digbeth): Saturday & Sunday — Independent music and arts festival returning for a limited run

  • Classic Antique Fairs (NEC): Friday to Sunday — Massive indoor fair if you're hunting for vintage bargains

  • Louis Tomlinson (Utilita Arena): Saturday night — Expect extra city centre traffic

  • Pure Garage Daytime Party (XOYO Birmingham): Saturday 2 PM–11 PM — Old-school garage legends including Artful Dodger

  • Model World LIVE (NEC): Saturday & Sunday — Great if you've got kids obsessed with scale models and railways

That's your week in B43/B44.

If you found this useful, forward it to a neighbour — the more locals on here, the better it gets.

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Drive safe,

Great Barr Insider

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