Summary

  • Prisoners attack staff and start fires

  • Body found near missing teens' beach

  • Man due to stand trial over cold case murder

  • Eight men arrested after train brawl

  • Updates from Friday 12 August 2016

  1. Pink balls to be used in test match trialpublished at 14:20 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Warwickshire's second XI match against Worcestershire is to be played under floodlights with a pink ball. 

    The day-night game at Edgbaston is a trial to see whether it'll work for test matches.

    Quote Message

    We have very good facilities here. We have good floodlights and we are a Test match ground. If this is a view of ultimately playing test cricket then this is one of the venues which could potentially be chosen. This is a logical place to trial it.

    Neil Snowball, Chief executive of Warwickshire Cricket Club

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  2. Wolves sign Borthwick-Jackson and Johnpublished at 13:48 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Manchester United defender Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Benfica forward Ola John join Wolves on season-long loan deals.

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  3. Dalian Atkinson inquest due to open on Wednesdaypublished at 13:12 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Andy Giddings
    BBC Shropshire

    An inquest into the death of Dalian Atkinson is set to open in Shrewsbury on Wednesday.

    The former Aston Villa striker died shortly after being Tasered at his father's house in Telford last week.

    Dalian AtkinsonImage source, Getty Images

    Two police officers are under criminal investigation after the death of the 48-year-old.

  4. Metro mayor ditched? It's nigh on impossible to stop the West Midlands planpublished at 12:52 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Patrick Burns
    Political editor, Midlands

    Newspaper reports that Theresa May does not share the former Chancellor’s enthusiasm for elected “metro mayors” come as no surprise. 

    As Home Secretary she was responsible for introducing a similar “high profile focal point for accountability” in the shape of the police commissioners, Low turnouts in the first police and crime commissioner elections four years ago were blamed in part on what was seen by some observers as the mere token effort she put into leading it. 

    Given the widespread grass roots hostility to metro mayors, there is bound to be speculation that “devo max” will no longer have to involve the elected metro mayor. But the deal already agreed for the West Midlands Combined Authority, which includes such a position, is now so far advanced that it appears nigh on impossible to stop it in mid-stream.

    MEP Sion Simon and John Lewis boss Andy StreetImage source, Labour / Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Sion Simon and Andy Street

    Labour has selected the MEP Sion Simon as its candidate and the Conservatives are widely expected to unveil the John Lewis boss Andy Street as their official candidate during their annual conference in Birmingham at the beginning of October.  

  5. Slavery reports rise fivefold, Salvation Army sayspublished at 12:23 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Just over 13% of "modern slavery” victims helped by the Salvation Army in 2015/16 were referred from the West Midlands, according to new data.

    The charity says it supported 1,805 people in England and Wales during the period – nearly a five-fold increase in the number since 2012.

    Anne Read, director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery at the Salvation Army, said the nature of the crime meant it was "always difficult to know the full extent of the problem" and the increase in referrals could be because there were more victims but also "improvements in training and awareness-raising".

    Slavery victim looking out window
  6. 'PM to abandon regional mayors plan'published at 12:03 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    The TIMES says it's learnt that Theresa May is to ditch former Chancellor George Osborne's plan for directly elected mayors in city regions., external

    The report says the PM is not enthused by the concept of one person in charge of powers and cash devolved from Whitehall. 

    According to the newspaper, Mrs May is also said to be nervous that the policy would boost Labour moderates such as Andy Burnham, who's hoping to be elected mayor of Manchester next year.

    George Osborne and Theresa MayImage source, Getty Images

    In the West Midlands, the metro mayor would represent Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.

  7. West Midlands clinical trials: Half-a-million people take part in 10 yearspublished at 11:20 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    BBC Midlands Today

    More than half a million people in the West Midlands have taken part in clinical trials in the last decade - a greater number of participants than anywhere else in the country.

    A doctor speaking to a patient

    Drugs firms are choosing this area to carry out trials because of the diverse population and the number of hospitals and universities involved in medical research. 

    For patients, it gives access to new drugs and treatments not available on the NHS and more on this story on BBC Midlands Today at 18:30.

  8. Watch: 24-hour forecast for the West Midlandspublished at 10:03 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Charlie Slater
    BBC Weather presenter

    A dull and cloudy start to the week but it will become drier through the day. 

    Tomorrow looks better, though, as it'll be brighter and feeling warmer.

    Media caption,

    The weather for the West Midlands.

  9. Bears stage test match trial at Edgbastonpublished at 09:36 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Joanne Malin
    BBC Midlands Today

    Warwickshire will stage a trial of day-night cricket at Edgbaston this week to see if it could work for test matches in England. 

    Edgbaston cricket groundImage source, Getty Images

    The Bears' second XI match against Worcestershire, which starts today, will be played under the floodlights and use a pink ball. 

    The cricket authorities hope day-night fixtures will attract more spectators. 

  10. More than 800 people apply for 81 apprentice placespublished at 08:51 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    BBC Midlands Today

    The water company Severn Trent is tripling its intake of apprentices this year, welcoming the largest number of new recruits the company has ever taken on. 

    Severn Tremt Water engineers

    More than 800 people applied for the scheme, external and 81 were recruited. 

    The apprentices will train in a variety of engineering and digital roles.  

  11. Rihanna and Bieber rock V Festivalpublished at 08:44 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    Rihanna and Justin Bieber were among hundreds of acts who entertained the crowds at V Festival.

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  12. Motorway reopens after fatal crashpublished at 07:08 British Summer Time 22 August 2016

    The M6 motorway between Wolverhampton and Walsall reopens after a fatal crash.

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  13. Durham v Warwickshire - day fourpublished at 19:59 British Summer Time 21 August 2016

    Listen to live BBC Newcastle commentary of Durham v Warwickshire in the County Championship Division One.

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  14. Protest over cemetery regulationspublished at 18:49 British Summer Time 21 August 2016

    A protest is held as families say they have been told to remove flower beds at a cemetery.

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  15. Boy, 3, dies in tipper vehicle accidentpublished at 18:37 British Summer Time 21 August 2016

    A three-year-old boy dies in a collision with a tipper vehicle in Wolverhampton.

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  16. Fire rips through haulage yardpublished at 12:14 British Summer Time 21 August 2016

    Explosions are heard as a huge blaze rips through a haulage yard in Wolverhampton.

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  17. 'Thunderclaps' and a scorer born in 2000published at 21:09 British Summer Time 20 August 2016

    A first win for Leeds and a scorer born in 2000 all feature in our round-up of things you may have missed in the EFL.

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  18. Hard to play against Pulis teams - Koemanpublished at 20:28 British Summer Time 20 August 2016

    Everton boss Ronald Koeman says Tony Pulis' teams "have direct play and a lot of tall people" after his side beat West Brom 2-1.

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  19. Big gulf between us and Everton - Pulispublished at 20:17 British Summer Time 20 August 2016

    West Brom boss Tony Pulis says his side still need five new players after the 2-1 defeat by Everton.

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