• Dangerous electric heating panels were fitted in 58 Birkenhead council homes by a firm in which Jack Roberts was a partner -- at a time when he was also leader of the council. The panels, known as Slenderad, had not been tested or approved by any British safety authority. The council had been warned they were dangerous and one of them later caused a house fire. Roberts had sought to influence a council official in favour of Slenderad but failed to declare his own financial interest (pages 1 and 12).

• On pages 6 and 7 the Free Press looks at Liverpool's new £56 million teaching hospital, originally approved in 1960 but still not completed 17 years later. The article raises questions abot what will happen when it opens. No one knows for sure how much it will cost to run or where the Area Health Authority will find the money. It's likely that some other hospitals will have to close and that development of community health services will be held back.

• Merseyside police have asked their officers to stop harassing a black taxi driver. Sean Samuels says he has been stopped "at least five times" in little over a year -- far more than white drivers at the same firm. One one occasion passengers were kept waiting in the car while the police checked whether he was on the wanted list (page 8).

Other items ...

• "Cheetah" con-men jailed (page 2).

• Hunger strike in Walton jail (page 3).

• John Lannon, the man beaten up by police in Kirkby while watched by numerous witnesses, has died (page 9).

• Review of the book "Bad News" by Glasgow Media Group (page 4).

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