Summary

  • Allegations of historical child sex abuse in football

  • Injured police officer to undergo further surgery

  • Compensation over asbestos in schools

  • Uncertainty over school closure branded 'utter disgrace'

  • The Clothes Show waves goodbye to Birmingham

  • Updates from Friday 2 December 2016

Live Reporting

Stephanie Barnard

  1. Severe rail delays between Birmingham and Wolverhampton

    Stephanie Barnard
    BBC Local Live

    Due to overhead line damage at Smethwick, trains are not running between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

    Network Rail says train tickets are valid on bus and metro services.

    Trains from Wolverhampton are being diverted and passengers are warned to expected longer journey times.

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  4. School sells healthy food: Children's risk of obesity

    Tom Turrell
    BBC Midlands Today

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    You only have to go back a few generations to see that weight among children hasn't always been the problem it is today. 

    By the time your child goes to primary school there's around a one-in-four chance he or she will be overweight or obese. 

    By the time they leave that school the number has risen to one in three. 

    Not all kids are affected to the same extent. If your family is well off there's a better chance your child will be slim. The reverse is true for children from poorer backgrounds. 

    Why does it matter? 

    It's thought in just eight years' time almost half of men and more than a third of women will be obese. 

    That means big health problems for the West Midlands and extra expense for a cash-strapped NHS. 

  5. Railway line blocked between Birmingham and Wolverhampton

    Stephanie Barnard
    BBC Local Live

    The railway line between Wolverhampton to Birmingham New St is blocked due to overhead line damage.  

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    Follow live updates on Twitter via @NetworkRailBHM.

  7. Cast hope new play will help raise awareness of autism

    BBC Midlands Today

    The cast of a new play hope a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon will help raise awareness of autism.

    Nicky Priest

    Actor Nicky Priest has Asperger's syndrome

    The Seven Acts of Mercy features a character with learning difficulties, played by Nicky Priest from Birmingham, who has Asperger's syndrome. 

    He says actors with autism aren't given enough opportunities.

  8. Police officer 'stable' after being hit by car

    Jodie Looker
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    The police officer who was seriously hurt after being hit by a car near Lichfield is in a stable condition in hospital. 

    Staffordshire Police say the 39-year-old, who's based in Tamworth, was taken to Heartlands Hospital with leg and chest injuries after the collision last night. 

    The officer had stepped into the road on the A5 after a man threatened him with a tree branch following the stopping of a "suspicious" lorry. 

    The force say they've found that the HGV involved was stolen and was on cloned numberplates.

  9. Tyre factory work to stop by Christmas

    Tyre company Goodyear will cease production at its only UK factory days before Christmas, bosses say.

    Read More

  10. RSC debut for actor with Asperger's

    An actor with Asperger's Syndrome is making his debut in a new Royal Shakespeare Company production.

    Read More

  11. Police chief calls tree branch threat at officer 'cowardly'

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    The chief constable of Staffordshire Police has called an assault on one of the force's police officers a "cowardly attack". 

    The force says the officer was attacked with a tree branch on the A5 near Lichfield yesterday after stopping a "suspicious" lorry. 

    A5 near LichfieldGoogle

    He then stepped into the road and was hit by a car, suffering serious leg and chest injuries. The suspect escaped after carjacking a Ford Fiesta.  

    The force's chief constable, Jane Sawyers, tweeted her comments on the incident, adding that it was also "fantastic" to get comments of support from the public.  

  13. Dogs find thousands of 'illegal cigarettes' hidden in shop

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    Thousands of what are thought to be fake cigarettes have been found in a raid by trading standards officers on a Staffordshire shop, the council say. 

    A detection dog with the haul of illicit tobacco found in RugeleyStaffordshire County Council

    The county council say 17,120 of the cigarettes and 10.35kg of fake hand rolling tobacco were discovered at the store in Rugeley town centre on Friday. 

    They say they were found using tobacco detection dogs who uncovered hidden compartments in a store room.

  15. When the Queen came to town: Re-enactment to take place later

    Daz Hale
    BBC WM

    Wolverhampton will mark the 150th anniversary of the Prince Albert Statue with a re-enactment of Queen Victoria's visit.

    Stage being set up in Wolverhampton

    She came to the city on this day back in 1896 to unveil the statue, known locally as The Man On The 'Oss in honour of her late husband. 

    The city's central youth centre will recreate the event in Queen's Square this afternoon, complete with a horse and carriage.

  16. Delays at Birmingham New Street: Trespassers on the line

    A number of trains are delayed at Birmingham New Street due to trespassers on the line, warns Network Rail.

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  17. Cricket: Woakes expected to make fourth-Test return

    BBC Sport

    Warwickshire's Chris Woakes is expected to be fit for the fourth Test against India next week.

    He cracked his thumb while batting in the third Test loss.

    Chris WoakesGetty Images

  19. Could leaves-on-the-line rail delays become a thing of the past?

    BBC Midlands Today

    Rail delays caused by leaves on the line could be a thing of the past if a prototype developed at the University of Birmingham is adopted.

    Autumn Sense machine for railway lines

    Every year thousands of commuters endure the frustration of autumnal delays when leaf loss coupled with moisture means leaves stick to the line and prevent trains from braking properly. 

    The man who developed the new technology calls it Autumn Sense.