A barber says he has been placed on a council “black list” after being told off for using a megaphone to warn motorists of traffic wardens.

Andy Blackwell, a hairdresser in the Cornish town of Liskeard, has been issued with a letter from his local authority after his alerts were said to have been a threat to traffic wardens’ “health and safety”.

A Cornwall Council spokesman said the cautionary contacts list was “an internal system which aims to protect council staff from potentially harmful situations”.

Mr Blackwell, 51, campaigns against rising parking fees in Liskeard, one of the towns recently handed a grant for improvements by retail guru Mary Portas in an effort to bring customers into the town centre. (PA)

Tightrope walker plans new stunt

American tightrope walker Nik Wallenda is set to walk on a wire 200 feet above the US 41 highway in Florida without a safety harness.

The city is allowing the circus performer and six-times Guinness World Record holder to perform the stunt without a tether.

Wallenda wore a tether for the first time last summer when he walked across Niagara Falls because the television network that was paying for the performance insisted on it. (PA)

Pollution levels shrouding China

Extremely high pollution levels have shrouded eastern China for the second time in two weeks, forcing airlines in Beijing and elsewhere to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors.

The outlines of buildings in the capital receded into a white mist as pedestrians donned face masks to guard against the thick, caustic air, which stranded passengers during the first week of the country’s peak, six-week period for travel surrounding the Chinese New Year on February 10.

The US embassy reported a peak level of PM2.5 – one of the worst pollutants – at 526 micrograms per cubic metre, or “beyond index”, and more than 20 times higher than World Health Organisation safety levels over a 24-hour period. (PA)

Scouts ponder change on gays

The Boy Scouts of America may soon give sponsors of individual troops the authority to decide whether to accept gays.

Under the change now being discussed, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue.

Gay rights activists were delighted at the prospect of change, sensing another milestone to go along with recent advances for same-sex marriage and the end of the ban on gays serving openly in the military. (PA)

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