Access to the Hereford road had been delayed due to last week's heavy snow.

Vicky Breakwell
BBC Hereford and Worcester

Two women from Herefordshire and Worcestershire have reached the south pole, halfway through their attempt to become the first all-female group to ski coast-to-coast across Antarctica.

Major Sandy Hennis from Redditch and Captain Zanna Baker from How Caple are part of the British Army six women-team called Ice Maiden.

In reaching the south pole, the women said on their website , externalthat they arrived there in the middle of the night and there was a "flood of tears" from many in the team.

A man's in hospital with serious injuries after being hit on the head with an axe on the top deck of a bus in Birmingham police say., external

Investigating officers say they believe a group of five men became involved in a dispute with the 26-year-old on the number 14 as it travelled along Saltley Road, Nechells, just after 15:50 on Friday.

CCTV images have been released of people police wish to identify in connection with the attack.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Allen Cook
BBC News

The flood barriers on the River Severn in Shrewsbury are being taken down this morning as the Environment Agency says river levels in the county are falling.

Image source, Environment Agency

There are just two flood alerts in the area, for the Severn Vyrnwy Confluence, external and the Tern and Perry Catchments in Shropshire, external and, in both cases, the agency says the level is slowly going down.

This morning, the organisation tweeted, external that the barriers at Frankwell were being removed.

A fundraising page set up for the victims of the Birmingham crash has raised more than £3,700.

The Birmingham Mail set up the page on behalf of the Lord Mayor's Charity Appeal and editor Marc Reeves said: "The impact of the appalling accident on the heart of our city will be felt for years to come."

Image source, Getty Images

Jodie Looker
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

Three men have been arrested after burglars forced their way into a house in Stoke-on-Trent and threatened people with knives. , external

It happened on Dennington Crescent, Blurton, last night, police said, with jewellery and some cash being taken.

Image source, Google

No-one was hurt although police said those in the house were "left extremely shaken".

Officers have arrested the three men, all from Stoke-on-Trent, on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Along with 33-year-old taxi driver Imtiaz Mohammed, the two cab passengers to die were a woman, aged 43, and a man, 42, police say.

The West Midlands force has been updating information about Sunday's horror crash in Birmingham and said the three other people killed, who had been travelling in another vehicle, were men aged 30, 26 and 25.

Another man in their Audi was hurt. The 22-year-old remains in a serious condition in hospital.

Image source, Getty

All the victims are from the Birmingham area, police say,, external and specialist officers are supporting their families.

Whether a fan or foe of the veg, spare a thought for a reptile whose festive meal is as big as he is.

Matt Lee
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

An investigation's under way after a large fire at a pub in the Staffordshire Moorlands. , external

More than 20 firefighters were needed to put out the blaze at The Jervis Arms pub in Onecote last night.

Staffordshire Fire Service says a building attached to the pub was well alight when they arrived.

They say the cause of the fire isn't yet known.

Worcestershire 'will leave no stone unturned' throughout world cricket to find the right man to succeed Steve Rhodes.

Mohammed Asif had a "drugs empire" worth £1.7m according to police.

Elizabeth Glinka took the moodbox to the constituency of Warwick and Leamington, a former Conservative seat snatched by Labour in June.

The Sentinel

On the Sentinel website today, these are among the top stories:

• Dog killed in suspected arson attack at house, external
• Family left with no fencing outside home after driver ploughed into their front garden, external
• Council house tenants could be hit with service charge hike, external

On-loan defender Ahmed Hegazi joins West Bromwich Albion on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee.

BBC Weather Watchers

Some of the BBC Weather Watchers have been up early to snap images of a stunning sunrise across the region.

Churnetvalleywalker captured this one in Alton, Staffordshire.

Image source, Churnetvalleywalker

Kingfisher Whisperer took this one in Coventry.

Image source, Kingfisher Whisperer

And Johnqa took this one in Lyonshall, Herefordshire.

Image source, Johnqa

Stephanie Barnard
BBC News

• Three vehicles crashed on Belgrave Middleway at about 01:00 Sunday
• Six people died - five at the scene, one in hospital
• Five men and a woman among the dead
• Three of the men who died were travelling in the same car; a fourth is in a critical condition
• The driver of a taxi also died along with his two passengers

• He was father-of-six Imtiaz Mohammed

• The road re-opened on Monday morning after being closed on Sunday
• Emergency services desribed the scene as "very difficult and upsetting"
• Police say it is "too early" to say what happened
• They have also criticised people for taking photos of the scene and sharing online

BBC News UK

A British diplomat who was found dead in Beirut at the weekend was a former pupil of schools in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Police in Lebanon have arrested a man, a source has said, in connection with the killing of Rebecca Dykes whose body was discovered on the side of a motorway on Saturday.

Image source, Family handout

She had been strangled, the BBC was told by police sources, who said the suspect worked as a taxi driver.

Ms Dykes, who is believed to have been 30, was a former pupil of Malvern Girls' College and Rugby School and had reportedly been due to fly back to the UK for Christmas.

She had been working in Beirut as the programme and policy manager for the Department for International Development since January 2017.

There are concerns a new method of disposing of the dead could allow human remains to enter waterways.

Express and Star

Among the main stories on the Express and Star website today:

• Birmingham crash horror: Investigations continue after first victim is named, external
• Water cremation: Controversial Sandwell Council plans on hold over 'yuck factor', external
• 200 services delayed at Wolverhampton station due to boozy behaviour, external

The father of the taxi driver who was one of six people killed in a crash in Birmingham on Sunday has been speaking of the moment he learned his son was dead.

Ikhtiar Mohammed said his family had decided not to yet break the news to all of son Imtiaz's six children as they were "very young".

Image source, Sam Lad

Police continue to appeal for information into the crash.