Automatic number plate recognition scanners are being installed at Manchester Airport as part of increased security measures. Five of the cameras will be installed at the airport. They will be able to read around 500,000 number plates a day providing an extra level of security and allowing police to check whether there is any reason to investigate vehicles at the airport.

More than 40 post offices are likely to close in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. If the plans do go ahead 29 post offices will shut completely and 13 will be replaced by an outreach service. The proposed closures are subject to a six week consultation process during which the public will have a chance to put forward their views. A full list of the proposed closures is available here.

This weeks Travel blog of the Week is Package Holiday written by Ian Sims. The blog  aims to help people find the best package holiday deals. Whilst the blog is relatively new it already contains some useful articles and reviews on various package holiday destinations. The most recent article looks at package holidays to the Greek islands and more specifically to Kefalonia. It includes links to useful websites that are worth checking out before you go away such as Trip Advisor which offers reviews from real travellers. The article also gives an informative review of the package holiday offered through First Choice Holidays. The hotel called the Nine Muses gets a favourable review for being clean and modern and close to the beach. The author also highlights some nearby attractions in Scala which are worth checking out. The only disappointment appears to be that he was not invited aboard Tom Cruise's yacht which was anchored nearby. 

Other articles on the blog give reviews of travel related websites. One such website that I have not come across before is Sidestep a US based site that Ian recommends for finding flights. Although the site is US based he points out that it offers flights to and from any destination so is just as useful for people who live outside of the states. The website gets a good review for being easy to use. It also gets the thumbs up for useful features that it offers such as email alerts on the best deals for your destination and the fact that it saves your holiday dates for the next time you use the website, so you don't need to input them again. This blog offers more than a simple review of the package holiday itself, it goes beyond that and reviews the whole travel experience from booking and researching the holiday before travelling, to the journey and destination itself. Its certainly a useful resource and it worth checking out further.

At PC2Paper we are always looking for new travel blogs to highlight in our Travel Blog of the Week spot. If you write a travel blog why not submit it here in the comments section for a chance to be featured on this blog. Or perhaps you have come across an interesting travel blog that we have not yet featured. Either way we are looking for your suggestions, we know there are loads of great travel blogs out there, why not help us find them?

Virgin Atlantic have seen a welcome boost in profits due to record numbers of business passengers. The airline has seen passenger numbers rise by 22% this year as they have taken the market share from BA and other rivals. Virgin has put some of the gains down to the problems that faced BA during the opening of Terminal 5. Virgin flew a total of 5.7 million passengers during the year, up 7.6% and has said it had begun the current financial year on a firm footing, with sales between April and June up 16% to £645.3m.

This article suggests that many British beaches are being contaminated by sewage. The problem is down to the wet summer putting increased pressure on water treatment systems meaning millions of litres of toxic waste are being pumped into the sea. According to the article two thirds of the 488 bathing beaches in England and Wales suffered increases in peak sewage pollution last month. The worst affected beaches are also some of the most popular with Totland Bay, Camber Sands and Watergate Bay being affected. In some cases blue flag beaches which should guarantee that no industrial or sewage waste affects the area have also been contaminated. One example is Porthtowan a blue flag beach in Cornwall where cotton buds and sanitary towels have been found. The Environment Agency has found that at 310 testing sites peak levels of bacteria found in faeces were higher in the first three week of July than in the same period in 2006.

The Post Office has released a list of possible branch closures across Edinburgh, the Lothians and the South of Scotland. A six week consultation will begin to decide the future of 26 branches and the downgrading of a further 32 offices. The company has said that almost all of the areas population would see no change to their nearest branch and will still remain within 1 mile of a post office. During the next six weeks people are urged to make their views known. The full list of closures is below.

The following 26 Post Office branches are proposed for closure:

• Breich, Rashiehill Terrace, Breich, West Calder
• Broomhall, 41 Broomhall Drive, Edinburgh
• Calder Crossway, 10 Calder Park, Edinburgh
• Carrington , 4 Primrose Gardens, Carrington, Gorebridge
• Cramond, 20 Whitehouse Road, Edinburgh
• Dalmeny, Main Street, Dalmeny, South Queensferry
• Easthouses, 1 Mayfield Road, Easthouses, Dalkeith
• Elm Row, 20 Elm Row Edinburgh
• Elphinstone, 3 Main Street, Elphinstone, Tranent
• Goldenacre, 20 Montague Terrace, Edinburgh
• Gorgie, 556 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh
• Grangepans, 14 Grangepans, Bo'ness
• Lasswade, 12 High Street, Lasswade
• Lincluden, 40 Lincluden Road, Dumfries
• Longstone, 7 Kingsknowe Road North, Edinburgh
• Magdalene Drive, 46 Magdalene Drive, Edinburgh
• Newton, Main Street, Newton, Broxburn
• Nicolson Street, 79 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh
• Pilrig Toll, 10 Newhaven Road, Edinburgh
• Polbeth, 12-13 Limefield Road, Polbeth, West Calder
• Poltonhall, 12 Hopefield Park, Bonnyrigg
• Rosetta Road, 1 Weymss Place, Peebles
• Shandon Place, 57 Slateford Road, Edinburgh
• Scheuchan Street, 59 Scheuchan Street, Stranraer
• Warrender Park, 73 Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh
• West Barns, 2a Edinburgh Road, West Barns, Dunbar

The following 32 Post Office branches are to be replaced by an outreach service:

• Ancrum - Hosted
• Bonchester Bridge - Hosted
• Bowden - Mobile
• Eccles - Mobile
• Greenlaw - Mobile
• Hutton - Mobile
• Morebattle - Hosted
• Clovenfords - Mobile
• Fountainhall - Mobile
• Oxton - Mobile
• Heriot - Mobile
• Balmaclellan - Mobile
• Colvend - Mobile
• Corsock - Mobile
• Creetown - Partner
• Dunscore - Hosted
• Kirkcowan - Partner
• Lochfoot - Mobile
• Moniaive - Partner
• Mossdale - Mobile
• New Abbey - Mobile
• Bentpath - Home
• Boreland - Hosted
• Collin - Hosted
• Ecclefechan - Partner
• Eskdalemuir - Hosted
• Glencaple - Hosted
• Drem - Hosted
• Garvald - Hosted
• Gifford - Partner
• Innerwick - Hosted
• Stenton - Hosted

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Weird Meat - a food and travel blog. The blog is  an exploration of how different cultures around the world feel about food. The author spends his time searching for strange things to eat and when he finds something odd, eats it and posts pictures and an article about his experience. The most recent post sees him in Taiwan sampling chicken testicles and deer penis wine. The wine (pictured right) comes in a large glass jar which is filled with liquor. In the middle of the jar is a preserved deer penis. The verdict is that it is "brutal strong" and not cheap at $9 USD for a shot. Another interesting culinary experience sees the author at a shop specialising in odd duck parts. Here he purchases some duck heads (pictured left). The heads are cooked and seasoned and then split down the centre so you can scoop out the brains and cartilage. Apparently they are tasty but rather chewy. 

Another article looks at a dish called Shanghai Drunken Shrimp (pictured right). The dish which sounds fairly tame is  actually live shrimps which are served swimming in a bowl of sweet alcohol. The alcohol makes the shrimp a little less feisty but the experience is still made more interesting because the shrimp bite back as you try to eat them. The trick apparently is to leave them in the alcohol for just enough time to get drunk and stupid before digging in. Something with slightly less bite is fried rat (pictured left) which the author tries in Cambodia. This  dish is BBQ'd so that it is well done and tastes like chicken. In all this is a great blog filled with lots of interesting material but is probably best enjoyed on an empty stomach.