BBC Business News

Strong house price gains were seen in the West Midlands, where prices went up by 5% in the past year, according to the UK's largest mortgage lender.

Homeowners in the East Midlands and Wales saw the value of their properties rise faster than anywhere else in the UK last year, the Halifax said.

Earlier this week, Halifax said that prices across the UK as a whole rose by 2.7% in 2017, less than half the growth rate of 2016.

An 18-year-old man has been arrested and police have seized what they believe is a large amount of heroin after an operation in Burton earlier this afternoon.

The man was stopped by officers on Goodman Street at 12:50 and he was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply.

He remains in custody while the investigation continues.

A man who found needles and evidence of drug-taking near the grave of his baby son in Stoke-on-Trent is calling for security cameras to be installed at the cemetery.

Steven Deakin from Chell said he was visiting the grave in Burslem on 3 January to mark what would have been his birthday, and was devastated to find the mess.

Image source, Steven Deakin

Mr Deakin said the items were hidden behind the headstone and he's worried people clearing graves might be injured by the needles or broken glass.

League Two side Crewe sign experienced Oldham midfielder Paul Green on loan for the rest of the season.

Shropshire Council is "potentially in a state of collapse", the leader of the opposition Labour group has said.

Councillor Alan Mosley made the claim at a meeting to approve the authority's latest financial plan, which could involve cutting up to 200 jobs.

The Conservative leader of Shropshire Council said it was sensibly working to balance budgets over the next two or three years, and denied Labour's claims.

A Sunderland man has been jailed after being found with a stolen car more than 150 miles across the country.

Philip Baker, 37, was arrested last year in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, after he was found with a car that had been stolen in Sunderland.

The car was taken from the driveway of a house in Melsonby Close after the keys were stolen in a burglary.

Barker was sentenced to 24 months at Newcastle Crown Court.

He was given 13 months for receiving stolen goods, one month for fraud by false representation and 10 months for breaching a suspended sentence.

Exeter City re-sign teenage West Bromwich Albion defender Kane Wilson on loan until the end of the season.

Police say nobody has been hurt in the car fire which has closed the exit slip road at J6 of the M6.

Firefighters are still on the scene near the Aston Expressway.

Image source, CMPG

Tom Edwards
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

A witness says he believes mistakes were made in the treatment of a woman from Worcestershire who died after a diet pill overdose.

Professor Simon Thomas from Newcastle University said 21 year-old Beth Shipsey "could and should" have been sedated earlier, an ECG test should have been redone and a cardiac alarm which went off was "silenced" by "overworked" hospital staff.

Image source, Shipsey family

Michael Walsh, a lawyer representing Miss Shipsey’s family at her inquest, said Worcestershire Royal Hospital was “significantly substandard”.

But Professor Thomas also said he believed her death was a likely event “on the balance of probabilities”, and regardless of the care.

The inquest continues.

BBC News Travel

The M6 northbound near Stafford has reopened.

A car hit the central reservation between J13 and J14 earlier, Highways England said.

Lindsay Doyle
BBC Midlands Today

A project's underway aimed at bringing to light forgotten tales of people born and bred in the Black Country.

It features photographs depicting the smoke, canals and heavy industry often associated with the area. But it also telling a wealth of stories never heard - until now.

You can see my full report on Midlands Today on BBC One at 18:30.

Tyrone Andrew, 21, has been remanded in custody to appear before crown court next week.

Shropshire Council is backtracking on plans to charge people to park in the evening.

At the moment, fees only apply until 18:00 and the authority had planned to extend that to 20:00, but it will now only look to implement the change at the main car parks in Shrewsbury and Ludlow.

Plans to scrap the 15 minute grace period for shoppers making a short stop are also likely to be dropped.

The revised proposals have increased the number of car parks offering free parking on Sundays and bank holidays.

The proposals will go before councillors next week, and are likely to cost the authority over £900,000.

Dan Pallett
BBC Midlands Today Sport

Birmingham City manager Steve Cotterill said he expects fans to give former boss Gary Rowett a good reception when he returns with Derby County on Saturday.

Rowett signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract at Pride Park following speculation linking him to the managerial vacancy at Premier League side Stoke City.

At today's press conference, Cotterill said he fully deserved a warm welcome.

Staffordshire Fire Service said it's dealing with an increasing number of fires caused by discarded cigarettes.

A man had to be treated for smoke inhalation after a flat fire in Laurel Grove in Stafford at just after midnight yesterday, which fire crews believe was started by a cigarette.

A man had to be treated by paramedics.

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

Another cloudy and occasionally foggy night ahead with lows of around 2C (36F).

Northampton sign Coventry City defender Jordan Turnbull on a two-and-a-half-year deal, initially on a free transfer.

A collection of photos dismissed by some when they were taken are now part of a project bringing to life untold stories of people from the Black Country.

Owen Lewis was missing for three days before his body was found near the bar in Risoul he was last seen in.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Today is being called "Heritage Treasures Day" on Twitter by the Heritage Lottery Fund, external, which is encouraging people to post their favourite heritage images on social media with the tag #HeritageTreasures.

In this area, Kenilworth Castle's been showing off parts of its site, external, in this case of Mortimer's Tower:

Image source, Kenilworth Castle

While Stoke-on-Trent City Council's been posting various photos, including of this statue outside the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery:, external

Image source, Stoke-on-Trent City Council