Vampire on the loose in Birmingham
Stories about a man who stalks the streets, sinking his teeth into passers-by, began to emerge from the Ward End area of the city last month.

Guardian Unlimited: According to the rumours, he bit a man walking along the street, then pounced on neighbours who came to his aid. One woman is said to have had a “chunk” bitten out of her hand. Local media have since been inundated with calls from people in the city’s Saltley, Small Heath and Alum Rock areas, who have heard of attacks and of people being bitten after answering their front doors.

“I heard the story in the barber’s the other day,” said Father Anthony Rohan of the Holy Family Catholic church in Small Heath. “They asked me if I believed in vampires and I said no. Then the lollipop lady mentioned it to me as well. I’m not worried, though. I’ve got a lot of crucifixes in the house.”