David's humorous odes to home town

David Bartley, who was born and bred in the town, has chosen his favourite odes from the past six years which have been compiled in Tipton This 'n' Tipton That.

The 53-year-old is famed throughout the town for creating catchy rhymes and verse that hit upon important local issues and has written poems about controversial West Bromwich arts centre The Public and the new tunnel under Tipton station.

The 56-page book has poems written in Black Country dialect as well as standard English and includes illustrations by Birmingham artist Galini Dimitriadou.

Subjects also include Tipton Baths, false teeth, litter and sporting ace Jack Holden. David, who was born in Stella Road where he still lives today, said: "I was very much involved in the campaign which saved Tipton Baths and what I used to do was mix a bit of common sense with a bit of humour that was the way I dealt with it.

"When the campaign ended people used to say to me they weren't having a laugh so what I started doing in 2003 was writing Black Country poetry and I've now penned almost 200 poems. "Most of my poetry is, I consider, humorous. However I have done about half a dozen which are anti-The Public in West Bromwich.

By day David installs, manufactures and maintains road traffic equipment. He is married to wife Susan and the couple have a 15-year-old daughter, Lucy, a pupil at Alexandra High School.

A keen fisherman and Wolves supporter, David was jointly awarded the Tiptonian of the Year title in 2002.