An investigation into the sale of the personal banking and credit card details of 1,000 Britons are likely to include call centres used by British retailers for online phone sales (Stewart Tendler writes).

Detectives and financial experts suspect at least some of the information may have come from centres used by retailers such as mobile phone companies who have sent part of their operations abroad to save costs.

The leaks have been blamed on call centres used by British banks and building societies but experts who have examined material passed by The Sun to detectives say that some of the information would not be held by banks.

The information that was sold included addresses, passwords, credit card details, passport and driving licence information and in some cases there were also the issue and expiry dates of bank cards.

Canals saved

The go-ahead has been given for the £11 million restoration of the Droitwich Canals, the early arteries of the Industrial Revolution in the Black Country. Work is scheduled to begin on the Droitwich Barge and Junction canals in Worcestershire before the end of the year, British Waterways said.

Owen marries

Michael Owen, the England footballer, has married his childhood sweetheart, Louise Bonsall. The Real Madrid striker and his long-term girlfriend were wed in a private ceremony attended by family and close friends, at a hotel close to their home in Flintshire, North Wales, a source close to the player said.

Orchids stolen

Rare orchids have been stolen from a conservation area near Clatterbridge, the Wirral. More than 12 Southern Marsh orchids were taken in the raid — a crime which carries a maximum fine of £5,000 or a penalty of six months in prison. The “priceless” flowers are not available for sale anywhere in the country.

Luftwaffe inquest

The body of a Second World War airman has been found 62 years after his bomber was shot down. The German Dornier 217 was shot down over Fernhurst, West Sussex, in March, 1943. Sussex Police said an inquest into the death of Franz Huske, 21, would be opened. Efforts are being made to trace his next of kin.

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