An investigation is under way following a blaze at a Black Country restaurant which involved 100 firefighters at its height.

The blaze at Hickory's Smokehouse in Wall Heath - formerly the Kingfisher - started in the early hours of yesterday morning but the cause is not yet known. The Beatles among other acts once performed at the site.

Keith Lester took to Facebook to post, external his memories of the Kingfisher in the 1980s, including "Pirahnarama bar, Sollys restaurant" and "OTT nights on Tuesdays" starring anything from "elephants and pythons".

Ken Arden posted, external: "Many great nights between 1965 and 1996."

Relive the final day from the County Championship as Yorkshire beat Notts and Worcestershire chase down 401 against Northants.

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

It was pretty damp last night, but things have got off to a brighter start today. Here's Charlie with more.

A drug dealer who took cocaine worth £185,000 with him on a day out with his toddler daughter is jailed for eight years.

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

Here are our top stories so far on Friday:

- A council says it has cancelled a contract for children's sports activities because staff did not have the proper criminal records checks

- It is unclear how long Black Country hospitals may have extra demand from sick children diverted from 'unsafe' A&E at Stafford's County Hospital

- A protest will take place outside Birmingham's French Consulate today over the so-called "burkini" ban

BBC Weather

The Met Office says outbreaks of rain will develop in the West Midlands through the course of Saturday, and, by the evening, are likely to be heavy at times.

Motorists are advised to exercise caution.

The areas below have been issued with a yellow warning.

Rob Mayor
Black Country Political Reporter, BBC WM

Sandwell Council says it has cancelled a contract to provide summer activities for children in Wednesbury as staff did not have the proper criminal records checks. 

Sport Wednesbury won the contract to run sports sessions in Brunswick Park for the second time this year but the local authority said appropriate safeguarding checks were not in place with regard to several employees.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) replaced the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) scheme in England and Wales.  

The council said it had now arranged for its youth service to run activities.

Sport Wednesbury said every staff member used was currently in possession of an enhanced DBS check.

A protest will take place outside the French Consulate in Birmingham tonight over the French government's controversial decision to ban full-body swimsuits known as "burkinis".

Photographs emerged this week of French Police appearing to make a woman remove some of her clothing on a beach in Nice. 

It's one of several French towns that have implemented the ban on the garment - which covers the body and head. 

Image source, EPA/AP

BBC Travel

There is queuing traffic on the M6 southbound between J6 for the A38(M) Aston Expressway and J5 for Castle Bromwich because of an earlier breakdown, drivers are warned.

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

I'm back with Friday's news, sport, travel and weather.

Comment on our stories and showcase your pictures of the region by getting in touch with us over email, tweeting us, external or visiting our Facebook page, external.

A contract to provide summer activities for children is cancelled as staff do not have the proper criminal records checks, a council says.

Only eight overs are possible on day three of Durham's County Championship home game against Warwickshire.

Join us again from 08:00 on Friday for more news, sport, travel and weather, but check back here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

Rain will eventually clear later tonight.

Lows of 14C (57F).

Find out more.

BBC Midlands Today

On Midlands Today we'll have the latest on a fire that ripped through the thatched roof of a well-known Black Country restaurant. 

At its height, 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at Hickory's Smokehouse in Wall Heath, near Dudley.

Find out more from 18:30 on BBC One.  

Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News Online

School pupils with special educational needs have been told their GCSE English coursework has been rejected by an exam board over fears it was not saved securely on the school’s computer system.

It means the children at James Brindley School will not keep their coursework marks, exam board AQA says, adding pupils will instead receive an "estimated grade based on their performance in the rest of the assessment”.

The school said it "did not agree with the decision" and would appeal. It said it would help the "small number of pupils" affected with "help with extra tuition, re-sitting exams if necessary and liaison with any further education establishments to facilitate access to the courses and programmes that were planned."

It said results were "broadly in line with previous years".

League Two club Stevenage sign Aston Villa midfielder Henry Cowans on loan until January.

A man dies two days after being stabbed in the street in Birmingham.

Michele Paduano
Health correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

Sick children in Staffordshire could have to go to Wolverhampton's New Cross or Walsall Manor hospitals after children's A and E services at Stafford's County Hospital were suspended today. 

The Trust that runs it says it's because there are not enough staff and it is not clinically safe. 

Patients will now either be transferred to Stoke or to one of the two Black Country sites.

BBC WM Sport

Wolves boss Walter Zenga has told us his thoughts and prayers go out to the people of his country - following yesterday's earthquake in Italy. 

A total of 241 people are now known to have been killed, hundreds injured, and many thousands are homeless. Nearly 500 aftershocks have shaken the area - one of which had a magnitude of 4.3.

Image source, Getty Images