Updates from Tuesday 2 to Sunday 7 January
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Here are some of the stories making the headlines on the Express & Star website this morning:
A 35-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder is being held under the Mental Health Act.
Read MoreOfficers investigating a fatal crash on the M42 this morning say road closures are now being "slowly removed".
A woman in 60s and another in her 50s, who were both rear-seat passengers, died when the car they were travelling was involved in a crash with a Merdeces van.
The driver of the car, a man in his 70s, along with a front-seat passenger in his 30s, suffered only minor injuries.
Police thanked motorists for their patience after this "very sad incident" and appealed for anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
A 35-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder after a fatal stabbing in a bookmakers in Handsworth has been detained under the Mental Health Act.
A 28-year-old man died after being found with severe head injuries at Paddy Power on Rookery Road.
Officers said they believe it was an isolated incident.
Clean air zone proposals for the West Midlands would "probably lead to" increasing taxes for polluting vehicles, said the West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street.
But, he said any new proposals "mustn't be blunt" as it "doesn't reflect the science and it's not also fair to consumers".
Last year, Birmingham was advised by the government to impose charges for some polluting vehicles by 2020.
There are believed to be almost 900 deaths from air pollution in the city every year.
Reacting to today's falling car sales figures he said he hopes the government will approve a new scrappage scheme for old diesels.
"We're got to act on this but we have to do it in a way in which looks at the real pollutants which are the old vehicles and actually my view is that the public want this to happen as well".
A border collie is believed to have started a fire at a home in Leek.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has carried out an investigation and concluded the dog appeared to have turned on an electric hob at the house on Haregate Road on Tuesday afternoon.
Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue ServiceNeighbours called 999 when a plastic cake container left on top of the hob started to burn and the 33-year-old woman living there returned home to rescue her pet.
Firefighters also rescued a hamster from the building.
Quote MessageThis is not the first time we have been to a fire caused by pets jumping up at the cooker and we ask the public to ensure there are no flammable items on the hob and if possible not to leave pets in the kitchen. If they have to shut animals in the kitchen it is important to isolate all appliances and ensure they can not be turned on.”
Station Manager Carl Mason, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
The five men aged between 21 and 28 were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of terror offences.
Read MoreTwo women have died after the crash on the M42 this morning, the ambulance service has said.
Image source, West Midlands Ambulance ServiceThe two were travelling in a car that was in a collision with a van between junctions 9 and 10 northbound near Curdworth, in Warwickshire, at about 03:20.
The driver and a third passenger in the car sustained minor injuries.
The van driver sustained back pain and a hand injury and he was taken to Heartlands Hospital for further treatment.
A police investigation and recovery operation has been completed on the M42 northbound between junctions nine and 10.
The motorway was closed after a crash between a van and a car at about 03:15 this morning.
The vehicles have been recovered and the southbound closure has now been lifted.
The northbound carriageway will remain closed for a clean-up operation.
A report into the death of a two-year-old boy living in Wolverhampton, who was murdered by his stepfather, has found it couldn’t have been predicted.
Chevaze McGregor, 27, repeatedly struck Jeremiah Regis-Ngaujah at his Wolverhampton home with a rod and a belt, causing more than 100 injuries.
The boy's mother was jailed for three years and four months for allowing the death.
A serious case review says information wasn’t passed on quickly enough to the authorities here in the Midlands after the she'd moved from London.
It says Wolverhampton children’s service didn’t know the family had moved to the city for several months – because the information wasn’t passed on by their previous council in Croydon.
The body of a woman has been found in the Balaams Wood area of Rubery in Worcestershire by officers searching for a missing woman.
West Midlands Police say they have spoken to the family of 56-year-old Angela Lambert from Frankley and are supporting them with specialist officers.
The area at Balaams Wood has been cordoned off while investigations continue to establish a cause of death.
Some of the headlining stories on the Coventry Telegraph website today include:
A campaigner has called for an urgent review into how a killer was able to murder his ex-girlfriend despite having killed two other former partners.
Image source, Met PoliceTheodore Johnson admitted murdering Angela Best after they broke up and she started a relationship with someone else.
He'd previously been found guilty of killing his wife by throwing her off a Wolverhampton balcony in 1981, and of strangling another former partner in 1993.
Julian Hendy, of Hundred Families, said there were "serious questions", external.
Johnson will be sentenced at the Old Bailey today.
The M42 is now open southbound at J9 after the crash in the early hours.
Highways England is warning of long delays on the approach from J10.
The motorway remains shut northbound J9-J10 while police continue their investigations.
The electric car industry will "grow very rapidly", the Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said, reacting to today's UK car sale report.
Image source, AFPSpeaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said it was his "own prediction" but, "I think this is about consumer trends".
He also dismissed an outright ban on diesel vehicles as being "too simplistic".
"Huge progress has been made in diesel combustion engines, and work can be done to retro-fit vehicles".
BBC News Travel
Traffic is being diverted away from J9 northbound on the M42 after a serious crash which happened at about 03:15.
Drivers are being asked to exit at J9, external and take the A446 through Bassetts Pole, then rejoin the M42 at J10 via the A5 eastbound.
There are also severe delays on the southbound carriageway.
BBC Business News
Bad news for the West Midlands car industry.
New car sales fell for the first time in six years last year with demand for diesel cars plunging by almost a fifth.
In total, there were around 2.5 million cars registered, according to industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Image source, PAThe figure was down 5.6% from 2016, while diesel sales fell 17% as higher taxes and pollution fears hit demand. SMMT also predicted further falls this year
The figures are preliminary, with final numbers for the year due to be published later.
The Environment Agency says although the River Severn in Worcester continued to rise slowly overnight, no significant problems are expected.
There are still flood alerts that remain in place across Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire:
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Detectives in Birmingham are continuing to question a man on suspicion of murder after a person died at a bookmakers.
Image source, PAPolice were called to the shop on Rookery Road in Handsworth at 12:45 yesterday and found a man who had suffered fatal knife wounds to the head.
BBC Midlands Today
Shrewsbury Town have sold out their tickets for their FA Cup third round tie against West Ham on Sunday.
The League One promotion challengers are hoping to cause a major upset.
Shrewsbury will try to take advantage of the fact that West Ham have already played two matches in the last three days.
