Graham Bentley: Storm warning

Among the assorted terrors that might afflict the population of Birmingham, one of the least appreciated may be the propensity for locals to be struck by lightning. According to data from The Health and Social Care Information Centre, in the three years from 2013, of 61 people in England who were treated in hospital after being struck by lightning, 13 were in Birmingham. In 2013/14 alone, of 22 strikes, seven were in the second city. Aston's Electric Avenue is indeed well-named. In a population of 53.8m people, therefore, at the last count, unless you lived in Birmingham, you had around ...