Irish footballer faces driving charges

International footballer Mark Kennedy has been charged with dangerous driving and failing to provide a breath test after he was stopped by police.

Kennedy, 25, who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Republic of Ireland, was stopped by officers after they followed him leaving a Cheshire restaurant in his Ferrari on Sunday.

He was stopped close to his luxury apartment in Cheshire's exclusive Alderley Edge area.

A police spokesman said: "A 25-year-old man who lives in Alderley Edge has been bailed to appear before magistrates in Macclesfield on charges relating to failure to provide a breath test and dangerous driving."

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Post mortem on lake boy

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out on the body of a 13-year-old boy pulled out of a boating lake in Lincolnshire.

The teenager was found in the Princess Parade boating lake in Skegness, at 1530 BST on Monday.

An ambulance crew spent more than 20 minutes at the lakeside trying to resuscitate the boy but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Skegness hospital.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire police appealed for any witnesses who may have seen the teenager before he went into the water.

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Text crime buster

Police in Birmingham are launching a new system using mobile phone text messaging to help cut crime.

The West Midlands force has set up a database of businesses across the city linked to a new piece of software that can send messages straight from the control room.

The software will enable police to exchange information with businesses to alert them to potential problems, especially in cases where shoplifters are targeting an area.

It will also help to crack down on credit card fraud and could be used to give emergency instructions in the event of a bomb scare.