Airport anguish as holiday makers forced to queue for hours
Airport anguish as holiday makers forced to queue for hours
Plus: Stolen! - Church's 19th century eagle lectern
Good afternoon readers — here’s your Monday briefing.
If you’re stuck at work and longing for a beach far, far away, you might want to count your blessings — holidaymakers travelling via Birmingham Airport have been queueing for hours in the cold amid ongoing security delays. We break down what’s happening and why in today’s big story.
Looking back: Our Saturday story delved into the curious world of life coaching, a phenomenon that has spread like wildfire online and is set to grow as an industry in the UK. We had some really detailed responses in the comments to this one that are fascinating to read themselves. Don’t read it on our recommendation alone — Simon Baddeley and Gary Cressman both said the article was “beautifully written”. Catch up with it here:
Also, make sure you read our deep dive on Wayne Brown, the former West Midlands fire chief who made history, then took his own life less than a year later. Our members-only story reveals new details about this tragic story. Read it here.
Looking ahead: Strap in for our first general election deep dive this weekend as we head to Dudley, Halesowen and Stourbridge. The three neighbouring Black Country seats are typically bellwether areas and all are expected to swing back to Labour from the Tories — but not without fierce competition. Dan Cave will be getting under the skin of the key issues and personalities, so don’t miss out.
A reminder: We are looking for a second full-time journalist to join Kate and Dan on The Dispatch team. If you have experience, a nose for the most interesting of stories and the ability to craft a good narrative, please get in touch. Our parent company is on a hiring spree and there are lots of other roles available across our cities too. Take a look at the job descriptions here.
Weather
🌦️Tuesday: A continuation of a very Spring-like summer. Showers, sunny spells, cloud. Max 15°C.
☁️Wednesday: Light cloud all day, a tad warmer. Max 17°C.
🌧️Thursday: Daybreak aside, drizzle and rain all day. Max 16°C.
🌦️Friday: A slight improvement on Thursday with some sun trying to break through. Wet. Max 17°C.
🌧️🌧Weekend: Light rain and drizzle all weekend but some, scattered glimpses of sun. Max 19°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: airport anguish as holiday makers forced to queue for hours
Top line: Hundreds of holidaymakers have had to queue for hours to go through security at Birmingham Airport since Friday. The scenes are the latest in weeks of chaos following the installation of a new security system.
Context: In May, the airport completed work on its Next-Generation Security system, which is designed to serve more customers per hour at peak times. It includes high-resolution scanners that can more easily detect threats and is meant to provide “a speedier and simpler pre-flight experience for customers”. According to the airport’s website, the £60 million upgrade is awaiting regulatory approval to enable it to be used at its full capacity.
Speedier and simpler? To put the tech to best use, the airport needs approval for new security screening standards for passenger and cabin baggage. Once granted, travellers will be able to carry two litres of liquid. For now, passengers are limited to taking 100ml liquids in their carry on but chief executive Nick Barton told the BBC that one in six passengers isn’t following the rule, which is slowing down the system.
A surprise u-turn: On Friday, the government has now made the 100ml limit mandatory across all airports. According to The Independent, that’s because airports using the new scanners have experienced a higher-than-expected rejection rate of liquids, with harmless sun creams being misidentified as high threat substances. Transport Secretary Mark Harper told the BBC: “It's a temporary measure and we’ll set out when that can be reversed in due course.”
“Very disappointed”: In the meantime, Barton is not best pleased. He told the BBC he was “very disappointed” that the national rule on liquids had been changed and the experience passengers are having is "not what we planned to give them". In a statement, Barton also said:
“It is now imperative that all customers comply with the nationwide rule to ensure a smoother and simpler transition through the airport. A non-compliant bag with liquids over 100ml can add up to 20 minutes to each passenger's journey through security.”
Brummie backlash: But frustrated passengers have taken to social media to complain about how the airport has handled the issue. Interior design couple Wes and Pete shared a video as they joined the queue for security that snaked far out into the car park at 5.18am on Sunday morning with a caption that said it was “awful for anybody elderly, with a disability, kids or if it was raining”. Sharing BirminghamLive’s coverage on X on Friday, editor James Cartledge asked: “Where is the £700k-a-year chief exec in all of this and why is it so hard to say sorry?”
A joke backfires: The controversy has even spiralled into fake news territory with several outlets mistakenly reporting that two waiting passengers were treated for hypothermia in the queue — this has since been confirmed as a joke that was made by a doctor on X.
Bottom line: Approval from the regulators can’t come soon enough so this shiny new security system can be used properly — and passengers can make everyone’s lives easier by sticking to the 100ml rule. But by refusing to apologise and quickly implement a working temporary system, Birmingham Airport’s chief exec is only going to make travellers more annoyed. Passengers shouldn’t be left out in the cold.
Photo of the week
Dispatch readers will be well aware of the Old Crown’s recent history, as a crucial piece of the jigsaw in the fight for the future of Station Street (and if you aren’t clued in, you can read all about it here), but what does the iconic pub looks like inside these days? This photo by Jez Collins shows a wonderful slice of Birmingham musical history — optic rails n’all.
Brum in brief
🦅Lectern takes flight: A brass lectern shaped like an eagle has been stolen from a church in Edgbaston. A man was spotted on CCTV at St Augustine’s church covering the item with a blanket and before swiftly making his exit this morning. The footage was posted to the church’s X account with a plea for information. The crime has been reported to the police but anyone with any details should reach out — the eagle has been part of the church since its consecration in 1868.
💬 ‘Less immigration talk’: Nigel Farage’s Reform party candidate for Selly Oak has said she wants to hear ‘the party talk less about immigration’ (you might wonder if she’s joined the wrong party). Erin Crawford made the comments on Politics Midlands saying the party was not "just focused on immigration" and she wanted to note that voters had voiced concerns over the NHS and taxes. She said that tax threshold and minimum wage issues has also come up on the doorstep while campaigning. Full comments.
🚨“IDRC”: Snapchat exchanges between the two 12-year-olds convicted of stabbing Shawn Seesahai to death in a Wolverhampton park in November (the youngest convicted murderers since Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were detained for killing James Bulger) have been revealed. The pair cannot be named due to their ages, but their communications on the messaging app have been published. While one of the two admits he is “scared”, the other writes: “it is what it is man”. And then “IDRC”, which means ‘I don’t really care’. One of the boys admitted to purchasing the machete used to kill Seesahai, but both boys blamed the other for causing the fatal injuries. Full story here.
📉Things are looking concerning in Birmingham's Gay Village, with the companies behind numerous venues bringing in administrators. GB Holdings Ltd, which operates a string of much-loved venues (Loft Bar and Kitchen, The Village) and Nightingale (UK) Ltd, both of which nightlife mogul and face of the Gay Village Lawrence Barton (he also serves as the city’s night time economy advisor) is significantly involved in, have filed a notice of intention in court. Barton has insisted there’s no need to panic, with no job losses expected, but that hasn’t stopped panic setting in. Do you work in the Gay Village or have any insight into what’s happening? Email editor@birminghamdispatch.co.uk.
Home of the week
This three bedroom semi in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter is located in the Grade-II listed Minories building, which began life as a brewery from about 1770. This light-filled home will set you back £575,000.
Media picks
🍃How clean is your air? If you’re a local, the answer is likely not very. A study of the impacts of improving air quality in the West Midlands has found that 2,000 early deaths a year could be prevented and approximately £500m saved for the NHS and social care by improvements to our air quality. For over a year, researchers collected samples of particle pollution from two locations: the University of Birmingham campus and next to a primary school in Ladywood — most of the local sources include dust from the wear of vehicle tyres, brakes and roads and wood burning. Read the full article.
📰It was a joy to discover this 1997 review of a book of selected poems by Brummie poet (and pianist) Roy Fisher in the London Review of Books (LRB) archives. Modernism was a big influence on Fisher whose verse was inspired, not by New York or Paris, but by Birmingham and the wider Midlands. “The city was his imaginative centre: what Paterson had been to Williams and Gloucester, Mass. to Olson,” writes John Kerrigan.
Things to do
Tuesday
🎭 From the creative minds of the Birmingham & Midland Operatic Society (the amateur dramatics company that has existed across three centuries!) Brummies can catch an adaptation of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at The Alex. One week only. Tickets here.
🎷 If you want a free helping of early-week Jazz then head down to The Spotted Dog in Digbeth to catch Birmingham University’s Jazz Collective Vocal Ensemble alongside instrumentalists. Audience participation encouraged. Details at a click.
Wednesday
😆 This might be the first time The Dispatch has recommended improv in our listings but we stumbled across a midweek night at the Jewellery Quarter’s 1000 Trades and it piqued our interest. If you get down, please tell us how it is. All the info.
👫 For those wanting to broaden their social horizons, the bi-monthly ‘Make Friends’ event is back at the Anchor. It’s international and free and the event description makes the hosts sound like a lovely lot. Further details.
Thursday
📷 Launching in Stirchley, a new exhibition of student finalist photography, alongside work from acclaimed photographers, will be on show. Plus music and film screenings. Precis here.
📖 Poets assemble! If you’re a fan of spoken word poetry and street food, get yourself down to Hockley Social on Thursday for RUN YOUR MOUTH’s bi-monthly performances. Price for entry is a very reasonable £2. More info.