Plans to merge three northeastern police forces were “unreasonable and perverse”, police chiefs told the High Court yesterday (Stewart Tendler writes).

In the first legal challenge to the amalgamation of the 43 forces in England and Wales into fewer than 20, Cleveland Police Authority applied for an injunction to halt a merger with Northumbria and Durham.

The authority wants a judicial review. The Home Office wants the amalgamation under way by next year. The mergers could cost £600 million.

The move comes after an Inspector of Constabulary report found that many small forces were ineffective.

West Mercia Police Authority is deciding whether to go court over plans for a Midlands super force. Four Welsh forces may follow suit.

Razzall resigns

Lord Razzall, the Liberal Democrats’ election planner, is stepping down early. He said that he would quit as chairman of the campaigns and communications committee to give his successor time to prepare for a possible early election. Ed Davey, the trade spokesman, will stand for the post.

702 on the run

There were 702 inmates who absconded from open prisons in England in 2005-06, the Government disclosed. This was the lowest figure in ten years, Gerry Sutcliffe, a Home Office minister, said in a parliamentary reply. David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said each absconder was a potential public risk.

Unused vouchers

Nearly one in three parents have failed to use their government vouchers to open a savings account for their children, official figures show. Close on 2.5 million vouchers had been issued by May 20, of which just under 1.7 million have been used to open a Child Trust Fund, Revenue & Customs said.

Bombings drama

The BBC promised that a teatime drama about the London bombings created for children’s television would be a sensitive portrayal of events (Adam Sherwin writes). That Summer Day, to be shown on BBC One, is “inspired by the events of July 7, 2005, and told through the unique perspective of children”.

Costa takes over

Sponsorship of the Whitbread Book Awards has passed to Costa, the coffee-shop chain, itself a part of the Whitbread group. The awards will next take place in January and are second to the Man Booker Prize in literary prestige. There are five categories — first novel, novel, biography, children’s book and poetry.

No-fuss style best for baby

Smothering babies with constant love and affection is less likely to guarantee a good night’s sleep for a parent than ignoring them once in a while, a study claims.

Babies who are comforted the moment they start crying will sleep better in their first fortnight, but by the time they are 12 weeks old they will suffer a greater number of disturbed nights.

Analysis of crying by babies held for 16, 10 and 8½ hours each day showed that a “happy medium” is more likely to result in a contented infant, the study, reported in New Scientist, said.

The study, of parents who pay their children the least attention, parents who spend 10 hours each day holding their infants and parents who follow baby-centric “natural parenting” techniques showed that the babies held for 10-hours a day slept the best.

Remains reburied

Gladys Hammond, whose remains were dug up and taken from a churchyard in Staffordshire 18 months ago by animal rights extremists, was reburied in bright sunshine at St Peter’s Church, Yoxall. A private service was conducted by the Rev Jenny Lister, who first interred Mrs Hammond, 82, in 1997.

Doctors accused

The number of doctors charged with manslaughter has risen steeply since 1990. Between 1945 and 1974 only one doctor was charged, but between 1975 and 2005 there were 44 accusations, 17 of them in the past decade. Most of the doctors were acquitted. Most cases involved mistakes rather than ethical violations.

Oxford choice

Oxford colleges have won their battle to retain selection of undergraduates, rather than a centralised university system taking control. The old system is claimed to be unfair to state-school pupils. Faculties are to rank applicants but colleges will keep the final say.

Train joyriders

Two youths cycled into a marshalling yard in Sheffield, climbed on a locomotive, started the engine and set off down the track, stopping to change points and switch tracks as dozens of rail staff were working nearby. British Transport Police are studying closed-circuit television images.

On the ball

The training regime for Wimbledon’s ball boys and girls is being standardised to ensure that they all walk, throw and catch the same way. An online training manual is being given to the 220 youngsters in the tennis championships this month to eliminate one-handed catches and bouncing balls.

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