A Ludlow mum who gave birth at home, without a midwife present, because her local maternity unit was closed, says proposals to stop delivering babies at three rural maternity units will "put lives at risk".

Shropshire's Clinical Commissioning Groups are considering making Shrewsbury and Telford the only hospitals available for women to give birth, with Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Oswestry becoming centres for antenatal and postnatal care.

But Alison Hiles said she was worried that women in rural areas might struggle to get to Shrewsbury or Telford.

Mrs Hiles also said the move was down to problems with recruitment and believes it is "absolutely about the money", something the clinical commission groups have denied.

The plans will be presented to the governing bodies of Shropshire and Telford's CCGs over the next two months ahead of a consultation.

Shropshire Star

These are the headlines from the Shropshire Star today:

• Driver banned after crash which caused cattle truck to overturn, external
• Tool sharpening conmen hit Shropshire factories, external
• NatWest branches to shut in Newport and Bridgnorth, external

A 47-year-old man has needed hospital treatment after a road rage incident in Hereford yesterday afternoon.

West Mercia Police said he was driving a Porsche on the A49 when he was overtaken by the driver of a Nissan Micra who stopped in front of him near the roundabout which connects with Roman Road.

Image source, goo

The Micra driver is then alleged to have assaulted the Porsche driver, leaving him with facial injuries.

A 24-year-old man from Hereford was arrested on suspicion of assault and has been released while investigations continue.

Victims were told to withdraw cash from their bank so that "criminals" could not access the money.

These UK Christmas decorations are definitely not lit.

A residential unit in Shropshire will stop its in-house mental health treatment for veterans.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Birmingham New Street remains the most used British railway station, external outside of London, new figures have revealed.

Data published by the Office of Rail and Road, external show 42.4 million passengers passed through it in 2016-17, up from 38 million the year before.

The figures also show Bearley in Warwickshire was the least used in the West Midlands, with 796 passengers in 2016-17 compared with 1,062 the year before.

National Rail Enquiries says Bearley is a request stop station, external, where passengers have to tell train staff if they want to get off.

Sindyann Laverne Regis suffered abuse at the hands of the man who killed her son, a court hears.

Allen Cook
BBC News

More tests need to be carried out to try and work out, external how a seven-year-old boy died.

Hakeem Hussain was found dead in Cook Street in Nechells, Birmingham, on Sunday.

The Birmingham Mail reported he died from suspected hypothermia, external, but West Midlands Police says that a post-mortem examination held today "proved inconclusive".

A man, 56, and a 35-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of wilfully ill-treating a child have been released under investigation.

In a statement today, the headteacher of Hakeem's school, Nechells E-ACT Academy, said he had a "wicked sense of humour and an infectious giggle".

They added that he will be "sorely missed" and they are putting together a book of happy memories.

BBC News Travel

There are delays of about an hour on the M6 near Birmingham after a crash between junctions 6-7. , external

Highways England says three lanes of the northbound side were closed due to the collision.

Staff say all the vehicles involved have been moved from the carriageway, external but there are delays back to the Castle Vale exit.

Natalie Casey is running a campaign in memory of her babies, who died 24 hours after being born.

The historic estate is among assets Dudley Council is considering putting up for sale.

BBC Sport

The Stoke City manager Mark Hughes says his side just has to "get back to winning ways".

Image source, Getty Images

The Potters are on an awful run, having not won in the league since 28 October and that win was their only one in seven Premier League games.

Stoke host Swansea City tomorrow and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting should be fit to play despite picking up an ankle knock in the defeat by Liverpool.

Sophie Madden
BBC News

Firefighters had a surprise when they were called on to rescue a brood of chickens from a house fire in the West Midlands.

A man in 70s was pulled from the fire at the house on Nightwood Drive in Streetly at 06:00, and taken to the nearby Good Hope Hospital, in Sutton Coldfield.

Saving his chickens turned out to be a more unusual request for crews from Sutton Coldfield and Perry Barr, external.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

The fire, believed to have been started by a candle, was contained to the living room of the detached house, but the fire service said the house was entirely smoke damaged.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

You've been having your say on proposals that would mean women no longer being able to give birth at three rural hospitals in Shropshire.

Hannah Martyr wrote: "Both our sons were born in less than 1hr 10mins. It takes longer than that to get to Telford from here. This is a significant and devastating loss to rural Shropshire."

Jennet Roberts wrote: "I had my eldest here and it saved my traveling 40 miles and the care I got was amazing."

And Liz Hyder added "We should not be penalised for living in rural areas."

Worcester News

Here are some of the stories making the headlines on the Worcester News website:

• Drugs and cash seized in drugs raid, external
• Multi-million pound council investment in Wi-Fi, external
• Cannabis farmer jailed, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

A teenage girl who police in Coventry were searching for has been found "safe and well".

The force gave the update after earlier saying a "large number of officers" had been hunting for her through the night after reports she was hurt in the War Memorial park area.

Former Test players Jonathan Trott and Jon Lewis are to join England's coaching staff at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Free ballet classes are being held across Birmingham in a bid to help older people avoid falls.

The Dance To Health, external programme is being run in the city with the help of GP surgeries and Birmingham Royal Ballet.

According to figures published by Public Health England in 2014, external, falls by those aged 65 and over cost the NHS more than £2bn a year and over 4 million bed days.

The NHS says about one in three adults over 65 who live at home will have at least one fall a year. It says strength and balance exercises can help reduce the risk.

Anyone over the age of 50 is being encouraged to attend the weekly ballet sessions in Ladywood, Lozells and Handsworth.

BBC Politics

A Birmingham MP is defending senior Tory Damian Green after a former Scotland Yard detective told BBC News he was "shocked" by the amount of pornography viewed on a computer seized from the Commons office of Mr Green.

Neil Lewis examined the device during a 2008 inquiry into government leaks and has not spoken publicly before.

He said "thousands" of thumbnail images of legal pornography were on it.

Mr Green, Theresa May's deputy, has said he never watched or downloaded pornography on the computer.

Fellow Tory MP Andrew Mitchell, who represents Sutton Coldfield, defended Mr Green on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, saying: "It is the misuse of entirely legal information to blacken the name of a serving cabinet minister."