DDT squads have been spraying dustbins in Manchester and Salford in an attempt to stop the spread of Infantile Paralysis, of which there are six confirmed cases in Salford and 18 in Manchester. In Berlin, the disease has so far killed 15 children.

It was announced by the LNER on Wednesday that work was to start immediately on the electrification of the Manchester to Sheffield railway line. The project will be completed in four years time. 75 miles of track from Trafford Park, through Manchester Central circuit and on to Sheffield and Barnsley will electrified, with power coming from 1500v overhead cables. Once electric trains are running, 100,000 tons of coal will be saved, and the Woodhead Tunnel will lose its unique, smoky aroma. The suburban service to Hadfield and Glossop will be operated with new multiple unit electric trains.

Though Manchester can hardly be described as an attractive city, the Corporation have decided to issue a new up-to-date guide to the city, aimed especially at business men, tourists and new residents to the city. The leaflet features illustrations of an Old Trafford batsman, a racecourse bookie and a Belle Vue seal.

Manchester Central library are making increasing use of microfilm as a way of storing records. The film takes up only 5% of a full-size document, and so brings massive reductions in the need for storage space. Publications already put on microfilm are "Chronicles of England" by De Worde and the list of inhabitants of Manchester from 1735. More are to follow.

Fruit and vegetables may be sold directly from grower to consumer. The Independent Traders' Alliance Organisation, representing over 4000 small shopkeepers, is ready to set up its own market. Already Mr William Priestner, of Lawton House Farm, Wythenshawe Rd, Baguley, is selling direct to the public. He has a stall at the entrance to his 11 acre market garden.

News came through today that a Tudor II airliner has crashed at Woodford aerodrome just after take off. Roy Chadwick, designer of the Lancaster bomber and other famous aircraft, has been killed, along with three others. Eyewitness reports say that the plane plummeted to the ground just after take-off, careered through a field and ended up in a pond at Shirefold Farm, Adlington. Though the plane was wrecked, there was no fire. One man is reported to have walked from the tail uninjured. The victims have been taken to Stockport Infirmary.

Roy Chadwick, 53, was born in Farnworth, Widnes. His triumph was the Lancaster bomber, the York, and most recently the Tudor series of airliners. He was awarded the OBE for his services to British aviation in 1943, and in 1944 he received an honorary degree from Manchester University.