BBC News Travel

Drivers on the A5 near Shrewsbury are being warned to expect significant delays after a potato harvester overturned.

Emergency services are at the scene and have closed one lane, external on the A5 northbound between the A49 and A5064.

Peter Plisner
BBC Midlands Today

How far do you think an average size car go on a gallon of fuel? Would you believe it's actually more than 100 miles.

Specialist drivers have been taking part in the Miles Per Gallon Marathon, external, which has been passing through the Midlands.

They've been doing their best to eek out the fuel, while driving on normal roads, to see how much they could save.

The cars in the MPG marathon are normal production models, but with highly experienced drivers, like this father and son team who currently hold the MPG record.

A global centre of excellence for music education could open in Sandwell in September 2020, if approval is given by the Department for Education.

Image source, City Learning Trust

The City Learning Trust is consulting on plans, in association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, to coincide with celebrations marking the orchestra's centenary.

The school would cater for seven to 19-year-olds and in addition to the normal academic curriculum would allow all students the opportunity to learn at least one musical instrument.

Plans for a music school in Stoke-on-Trent were also announced by the City Learning Trust earlier in the year.

Two young Worcestershire cricketers, Josh Tongue and George Scrimshaw, are among five promising fast bowlers who have been selected by the England and Wales Cricket Board for this winter’s "Pace Programme".

Redditch-born Tongue, who's 19, played in all 14 matches this season for the promotion-winning Pears, taking 47 wickets as they won the Division Two title in the County Championship.

Scrimshaw, also 19, from Staffordshire, has so far played four T20 Blast games for Worcestershire.

Image source, Tony Marshall - Getty Images

Worcestershire's assistant coach, Matt Mason, the county's fast bowling coach, will also be on the programme, which involves warm weather training in Spain and South Africa.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM

A Solihull councillor said she was trying to "stimulate debate" by retweeting allegedly controversial material on her Twitter account and "doesn't necessarily agree with the sentiment".

Image source, Twitter

Solihull Council said it is investigating a complaint made against Councillor Margaret Bassett.

She told Radio WM "a lot of the retweets I positively don't agree with - I do it because I think people should know that these ideas are out there and it stimulates debate.

"I'm very committed to unity in society. People taking these tweets out of context is politically motivated.

"The Twittersphere is somewhere where people share ideas," she said.

Tweets on her account have now been protected and taken out of public view.

Shropshire Star

A man was rescued from the River Severn in Shrewsbury, external in the early hours of the morning.

St Gilbert's School, where the alleged abuse took place, was a Catholic school for delinquent boys.

West Midlands Police said further searches will be conducted "in the very near future".

Three people have been convicted of trafficking women for a prostitution ring in a network of hotels across the south east.

Hong Chin, 45, his former partner Li Wei Gao, 44, and Ting Li Lu, 47, lured women to the UK from China and Korea, jurors at the Old Bailey heard.

Image source, Central News

Chin, from Staffordshire, and Lu, from Portsmouth, were both found guilty of trafficking people within the UK for sexual exploitation.

Gao, from Oxshott in Surrey, was found guilty of controlling prostitution for gain and acquiring or possessing criminal property, alongside Chin and Lu.

The trio will be sentenced at a date to be arranged.

The family of a climber who died shielding his wife from a rock fall pay tribute to their "hero".

Warrington first-team coach Richard Agar leaves his role with the club after receiving a job offer in the NRL.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

If you happen to catch a man in just a pair of swimming trunks, complete with cap and goggles and nowhere near the sea, then don't worry.

This is "Speedo Mick, external" who's embarking on a personal challenge to walk 700 miles from Everton FC To Olympique Lyonnaise FC in France, all in aid of the Alder Hey Children's Charity, external, which raises money for the Liverpool children's hospital.

Today he's set off to walk 28 miles from Nuneaton to Northampton. He is also wearing trainers.

Apparently he's known for getting lost, so if you see him going the wrong way, maybe set him off in the right direction...

Margaret Bassett is the second Solihull councillor to be investigated over anti-Muslim tweets in days.

The safety of tourists returning to Tunisia can't be guaranteed, even though the government has relaxed its travel advice, the British ambassador to the country has told BBC local radio.

Thirty Britons were among 38 tourists killed near Sousse in Tunisia including Charles Patrick Evans, his son Adrian Evans and grandson Joel Richards, and Sally Adey - all from the West Midlands.

Louise de Souza said the Foreign Office changed its advice this summer because the Tunisian authorities have improved security measures, but a terror attack remains likely.

The Sentinel

Here are some of the top stories covered by The Sentinel this morning:

• Mourners are being urged to wear "bright and summery" clothes, external at Sam Caddy's funeral
• Stafford couple’s anger at changes to care, external
• Drunken thug bit off part of man's ear , externalin savage city centre attack

James Bovill
Staffordshire Political Reporter, BBC News

Two Stoke-on-Trent MPs, Ruth Smeeth and Gareth Snell, have written a letter to the culture secretary to formally ask for the city to be considered as the new HQ for Channel 4.

There are plenty of bigger cities competing to become Channel 4's new home, but the fact that two Labour MPs have even thrown their city in to the mix shows its new-found confidence.

Stoke-on-Trent is in with a real chance of being named UK City of Culture 2021, spent last year as European City of Sport and many feel there's a buzz about the place not seen since its ceramics heyday.

Image source, Getty Images

But there's still a long way to go.

Stoke-on-Trent has yet to even submit a formal bid, unlike West Midlands metro mayor, Andy Street, who did so three months ago and has already identified four potential locations for a new HQ.

With a decision on a possible move expected by the end of the year, Stoke-on-Trent may not win this particular race, but it's a boon to even be in the running.

Solihull Moors appoint Richard Money as their new manager to succeed Liam McDonald at the National League club.

Shropshire Star

Some of the top stories being covered in the Shropshire Star newspaper today include:

• Noel Conway: Terminally ill Shrewsbury man 'faces unbearable suffering' as he loses legal fight on assisted dying, external
• Man is rescued from River Severn in Shrewsbury, external
• A live-in carer from Telford who plundered thousands of pounds, external from a dementia sufferer she was looking after has been jailed for 20 months

Fergus Walsh
Medical correspondent

Three high court judges have ruled against a bid to change the law on assisted dying.

Noel Conway, from Shrewsbury, has an incurable degenerative condition and needs a ventilator to breathe - he fears becoming entombed in his own body as his muscles weaken.

He went to High Court asking for the right to have doctors to prescribe him a lethal dose of drugs when his condition deteriorates.

The judges have rejected his claim that the suicide act of 1961 breaches his human rights.

A key section from the judges says the law which prohibits assisted dying is "necessary to protect the weak and vulnerable".

Mr Conway intends to appeal. He was too ill to attend court today, though he says in a statement the decision "denies me a real say over how and when I will die".

Here are the top sport stories we're talking about this morning in the Midlands:

• Port Vale's new manager, Neil Aspin, is expected to appoint Lee Nogan, who was his assistant at Gateshead, as his new number two at Vale Park
• Heartbreak for Wolves speedway last night as they missed out on becoming national champions for the second year in a row by only a single point to Swindon

• The Sky Blues manager, Mark Robins, has praised his back-up keeper Liam O'Brien for making crucial saves in the Checkatrade Trophy match against Walsall
• Worcester Warriors will head into Saturday’s Aviva Premiership match at Bath needing a win to kick start their season