BBC News Travel

An overturned lorry is blocking the A53 in both directions near Shawbury.

Normally very busy at this time of day, there are long delays reported after the collision between the Muckleton Road and the A442.

Image source, West Mercia Police

A man found guilty of murdering a Coventry tattoo artist discovered stabbed at a petrol station is to be sentenced tomorrow.

Mark Nesmith, 35, a friend of Coventry band The Enemy, died in hospital after being found with stab wounds at a BP garage in The Butts, Coventry in June.

Image source, Grizzly Art Collective

Tyler Smith, 21, of Attoxhall Road, Coventry, was also found guilty of violent disorder and possession of a weapon at Birmingham Crown Court.

Two other men, Uzair Hussain, 24, of Crampers Field, Radford, and Sebastian Vastaki-Barsby, 19, of Barkers Butts Lane, Coundon, are also due to be sentenced on Friday after being found guilty of violent disorder.

The Post Office has apologised to customers in Shropshire after services were severely hampered by bad weather last week.

Heavy snow and ice meant some people went without post for almost a week. Royal Mail says it's working "around the clock" to clear the backlog so items are delivered in time for Christmas.

Seven people are due before magistrates today facing charges in connection with 14 robberies in north Staffordshire.

Police say , externalthe robberies centred on bookmakers, convenience stores and off-licences, and all occurred between November 2016 and January of this year.

The seven - who are aged between 18 and 27 - are all from Stoke-on-Trent.

A fundraising campaign has been launched in Ludlow to save the former home of King Henry VIII's wife Catherine of Aragon.

Image source, Google

Castle Lodge, close to the castle, has 24 rooms and has been a prison, a hotel and a cafe.

Thomas Seckford, an official who served Elizabeth I, also lived at the medieval town house.

The National Heritage Club says it's hoping to initially raise £500,000 to safeguard its future and keep it open to the public.

BBC Midlands Today

A Birmingham charity says it's pioneering a new way to help break the cycle of homelessness.

The Changing Lives Organisation says simply giving people a home is not the solution unless treatment for issues such as mental health or drug addiction are also addressed.

It's offering sustained support from a wide range of services as new figures show that homelessness in Birmingham is three times the national average.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

With pressure mounting on the Stoke City manager Mark Hughes, his chairman says they're not looking any further ahead than Saturday's game against West Bromwich Albion.

Stoke have won just one of their last six games and are just one point above the relegation places.

Many fans want to see a change of manager, but Peter Coates said he won't make any snap decisions.

Virgin Trains passengers with tickets booked for tomorrow can travel earlier to avoid strike action, the firm says.

Staff on the West Coast mainline are taking part in a series of 24-hour walkouts over pay and staffing.

Image source, PA

Virgin Trains said , externalthe majority of services will run, but are expected to be busy, and advised passengers to travel as early as possible.

A double-decker bus roof was torn off when it passed under a low railway bridge in Bournville Lane Birmingham last night..

Photos from the scene show extensive damage to the National Express West Midlands bus, which was out of service at the time.

Image source, Amy Tunney

Witnesses described an "incredible bang" as the bus smashed into the bridge near Cadbury World.

No passengers were on board and the driver was not injured.

The 30-year sentence of a homeless man who knifed three members of a family who helped him is to be challenged as "unduly lenient" in the Appeal Court.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Aaron Barley murdered Tracey Wilkinson, 50, and her son Pierce, 13, at their Stourbridge home, and was jailed for life with a minimum 30-year term.

The judge told Barley, 24, in October she did not impose a whole-life tariff "principally because of your youth".

Solicitor General Robert Buckland will argue against the sentence today.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

After a misty and murky start, with the chance of some light drizzle, it should become brighter this afternoon with top temperatures of 11C (52F).

Birmingham is set to be confirmed as the host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games at a media conference in the city this morning.

Image source, Birmingham 2022

It was the only interested city to submit a bid before the original 30 September deadline but was deemed "not fully compliant" by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

With an estimated budget of £750m, the games will be the most expensive sports event held in this country since the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

Tyler Smith is guilty of murdering Mark Nesmith at a BP garage in Coventry in June.

James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

Shrewsbury Town players may have to skip second helpings of the turkey for extra training on Christmas Day this year.

They're stuffing in the games over the festive period, including a top-of-the-table League One cracker at Wigan on Boxing Day.

Shrewsbury follow that up with matches away to Southend on 30 December and then at home to Oldham on 1 January.

Martin Winch
BBC News

Coventry City Council is looking to spend £10m to bail out the current owners, external of the Friargate development.

The proposals, which will go before the authority's cabinet and council in the new year, would see it take on 50% of current owner Friargate LLP.

Image source, Coventry City Council

The council would then use £51m it's received from the West Midlands Combined Authority to build a second tower block.

They say the aim is to kick-start any future development, creating jobs and income from new business rates.

Friargate is a regeneration project which aims to create 15,000 jobs spread over 25 buildings spanning 37 acres.

BBC News Travel

One lane's still closed and there are big queues on the A38 (M) Aston Expressway northbound in Birmingham this evening.

It's down to a crash earlier and the closure is between the B4132 Waterlinks Boulevard and junction 6 of the M6.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Here are some of the top stories in a few of the newspapers in Staffordshire today:

• Burton Mail: No arrests weeks after man tried to help himself to charity toys and clothes, external
• Uttoxeter News: Congregation decorates town with angels in yarn-bombing project, external
• Lichfield Mercury: Probe after man delivers parcel to family home and 'walks off with package', external

A Dogs Trust rehoming centre in Shropshire has reached a big milestone just before Christmas, after finding a new owner for its 5,000th dog since a big refurbishment six years ago.

Riley is a five-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross and he's going to live with one of the volunteers at the centre at Roden.