The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police says his force is under strain and the government should increase funding if it's to deal with large-scale disorders., external

Image source, West Midlands Police

Dave Thompson, in his role on the National Police Chiefs Council, says without fresh investment, neighbourhood street patrols will "disappear".

He said funding needed to be "stabilised with real terms protection for policing as a whole".

The Home Secretary's acknowledged police resources were "very tight".

Alex Lester
Presenter, BBC WM

A woman from Oldbury is appealing for more black blood donors to step forward.

Sadeh Graham, 25, was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when she was born and has to have treatment every four weeks.

She requires blood with a special subtype which 50 per cent of black blood donors have compared to 2 per cent of white ones.

Aston Villa do not expect immediate progress in their bid to sign John Terry after making him a lucrative contract offer.

There will be a "robust" security operation in place for Eid celebrations in Birmingham this weekend, West Midlands Police says, external.

Thousands are expected to attend an event in the city centre on Sunday to mark the end of Ramadan.

The force says that armed officers will patrol the area following recent terror attacks but insist people shouldn't be alarmed.

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

A footballer from Tamworth says his dreams of playing professionally have come true thanks to an academy run by the Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.

Image source, Tamworth FC

Vardy launched the V9 Academy in 2015 to discover hidden talent and stop players drifting away from the game.

This week Danny Newton, who scored 29 goals for Tamworth last season, joined Stevenage on a professional deal.

A man was left trapped in his car for about 30 minutes after a crash in Evesham, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

Crews were called to the junction of Leys Road and Evesham Road in Harvington, just after 17:35 yesterday. They found a car lying on the driver’s side and in a ditch.

Ambulance service spokesman Jamie Arrowsmith said: "The driver, a man in his 80s, was trapped as a result of the damage suffered to the car and ambulance staff worked closely with the fire service to free him through the passenger door."

Image source, West Midlands Ambulance Service

The man was treated for injuries to his head, face, arm and back and was suffering from a slightly reduced level of consciousness, Mr Arrowsmith said. He was taken by air ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

The passenger in the car, a woman in her 80s, was treated for a minor abdominal injury and taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

The leader of Birmingham City Council says he'll do "whatever it takes" to raise the millions of pounds needed to fit more than 200 tower blocks with sprinkler systems.

Image source, Getty Images

John Clancy says he wants to reassure residents after the fire at Grenfell Tower last week which is thought to have killed at least 79 people.

Mr Clancy has written to his counterparts in other big cities asking them to join him in putting pressure on the government to help pay for the sprinklers.

Thomas Parker is credited with inventing the first truly practical version of the electric car.

Eleven residential high-rise buildings in eight English local authority areas have been found to be covered in combustible cladding following safety tests.

It comes as tests are being carried out on about 600 high rises across England.

Cladding is thought to have contributed to the rapid spread of fire at Grenfell Tower, in which at least 79 people are believed to have died.

Leader of Birmingham City Council - not one of the eight authorities - has outlined his vision for the safety of the council's tower blocks, with sprinkler systems among the priorities.

Image source, Google

Warwickshire's nine-year run in the first division of cricket's County Championship appears to be under threat.

An innings defeat to Essex at Chelmsford has left the Bears bottom of the table, 40 points off safety with eight games to go.

Captain Ian Bell acknowledges the team has to improve if it's to avoid relegation to the second division.

Image source, Getty Images

Lucy Martin
BBC Weather

A cloudy and breezy day with some bright intervals but the possibility of some showers too with top temperatures of 19C (66F).

Police in England and Wales would struggle to deal with riots on the scale of 2011 due to budget cuts, an officer who oversees funding has said.

Chief Constable Dave Thompson, of West Midlands Police, said the "strain is showing" after multiple terror attacks.

Image source, PA

"We'd have real challenges in dealing with something like the 2011 riots again," he wrote on the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) blog, external on Friday.

The home secretary has admitted that police resources are "very tight".

Welcome to Friday's news, sport and travel updates.

We'll have a weather forecast for you shortly.

Council leader John Clancy says the work will be carried out "as a matter of urgency".

A union says Birmingham City Council wants to cut about a fifth of the "collection squad".

That's it from the Live team on Thursday.

Join us again from 08:00 on Friday.

Paul Franks
Presenter, BBC WM

Birmingham City Council leader John Clancy has said the council will raise the £31m needed to fit sprinklers in Birmingham's 213 tower blocks.

Speaking on the Paul Franks Show, he said: "We will prioritise this and we will make sure the funds are here to do this.

"When I became council leader I pledged that every child, every citizen, and every place mattered and it's time to underline that pledge.

"Tower blocks are important places in our city and they matter."

Express and Star

The leaders of the four Black Country councils have all been given key roles in Mr Street's inaugural West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) administration, external, which is set to run until 2020.

BBC WM

Teachers at St Edmund's RC Primary School in Birmingham have been praised for their response to a shooting outside the school gates yesterday afternoon.

Two shots were fired at a cyclist by a man in a car. Nobody was hurt.

Det Insp Richard Marsh of West Midlands Police said: "The school acted incredibly efficiently and effectively to shut the school down, to lock it down, and to ensure the safety of all those within the school.

"For that, we're very very grateful."

Mark Ellis attacked his 10-year-old victim during a series of incidents in South Lanarkshire.