Midlands Live: Breaking news and local stories

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Updates from Monday 15 to Sunday 21 January
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Live Reporting

One last dance for principal ballet starpublished at 11:39 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Amy Cole
BBC Midlands Today
Birmingham Royal Ballet's principal dancer is hanging up his ballet shoes tonight after a career spanning almost almost two decades.
Iain Mackay is performing at the Symphony Hall in a one off event of music and dance.
He'll be taking up up a new job as artistic director of the Yorkshire Summer Ballet School - a move he hopes will lead to a better work life balance.
You can see my full report on Midlands Today on BBC One at 13:30.
Bridge bill rises by £3mpublished at 11:21 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Alistair Binney
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester
A bill for constructing a bridge has risen by about £3m.
Construction company Hochtief won the £9m contract to build Evesham's Abbey Bridge and started in September 2013, with completion due in December.
But the crossing actually reopened in March 2014, with the contractor saying then that weeks of work had been lost because of the bad weather.
Despite over-running and closing the bridge for longer than agreed, Hochtief claimed they hadn't been told about weather conditions and river levels before bidding.
Quote Message
The difficulties they had were they had a novel method of doing it but then they ran into difficulties over the optic cables and where they were going to do it and that was the cause of the dispute and that was the cause of some of the major delays."
Councillor Ken Pollock, Cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, Worcestershire County Council
'Urban explorer' fined for bridge climbpublished at 11:15 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Ryan Taylor, from Walsall, was fined £400 for scaling the Humber Bridge without safety equipment.
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Could the Bayeux Tapestry come to Coventry?published at 11:08 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Coventry is to launch a bid to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to the city after it was confirmed it will come to the UK in 2022.
Image source, Getty Images
David Burbidge, chairman of the Coventry City of Culture Trust said having the tapestry in the city would be "perfectly timed" as part of the City of Culture 2021 legacy.
"Perhaps, before winning the title, we wouldn’t have had the confidence to push ourselves forward to host such a historic piece of work but now believe we would be exactly the right place to host it.
"We await to see if there will be a formal bidding process but we will definitely be putting Coventry forward in a strong way,” he said.
Winchester has also offered to host the tapestry.
Crouch to Chelsea: 'Strangest transfer of all time'published at 10:58 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
BBC Sport
The news that Peter Crouch could be heading to Chelsea has surprised many football fans this morning.
The Telegraph reported today, external the London side are interested in the 36-year-old Stoke City striker.
Image source, Getty Images
Fans have been quick to comment on the BBC Sport website:
Stoke fan Dave Wakefield responded: "Unthinkable to even contemplate selling Crouch with where we are in the league."
Mick from Stoke texted: "I would hate to see Crouch leave Stoke and would like him to stay and coach when he retires but what a story for the gentleman of football."
And Gary from Manchester says he's still got it: "I was at the game on Monday at Old Trafford - Peter Crouch was the outstanding player for Stoke, every ball was aimed at him going forward and his lay-offs nearly provided a goal."
'Baby' rescue turns out to be large dollpublished at 10:43 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Allen Cook
BBC News
Image source, James Dowley
A man jumped into a lake to rescue what he thought was a lifeless baby, which turned out to be a large doll.
James Dowley, 28, from Welshampton, was with his father driving past the Mere in Ellesmere, Shropshire, when they spotted a face-down figure on the surface of the water.
Image source, James Dowley
He immediately waded in and , externalwas in the freezing water for several minutes.
It looked "rather life like" but, when he got there, it turned out to be a large doll, he said.
Image source, James Dowley
In the papers: Animal ban after puppies rescuedpublished at 10:24 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
The Sentinel
The Sentinel has these top stories today:
Your photos: Stunning picture as dawn breaks todaypublished at 10:15 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Allen Cook
BBC News
This stunning photo of dawn over Shropshire today was taken by photographer Andrew Fusek Peters.
It was taken on the Gaer Stone near Church Stretton:, external
Image source, Andrew Fusek Peters
Police-chase van smashes into housepublished at 10:02 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
The resident of the house in Erdington had left the room seconds before the crash.
Read More
Restaurant fined for clogging sewers with greasepublished at 10:02 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
A restaurant has been fined for blocking sewers with fat, oil and grease.
Severn Trent Water said waste from Saffron Cottage at Ford, near Shrewsbury, caused a huge blockage leading to sewage flowing into a nearby watercourse.
The restaurant's owners pleaded guilty to an offence under the water industry act and had to pay a total of £9,266, including fine and costs, by Telford Magistrates’ Court.
Image source, Severn Trent
Severn Trent said it contacted the restaurant, run by SCE Catering Limited, several times asking for grease traps to be installed and warning of the consequences but the owners didn’t comply.
Image source, Severn Trent
Severn Trent said it was only the third such case to go to court and it would make other companies think about the way they dispose of fat, oil and grease.
Gas leak closes roadpublished at 09:52 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
A gas leak has closed a major road with bus services being diverted away from the scene.
Image source, Google
Engineers are working to trace and repair the leak on Walmley Road in Sutton Coldfield gas company Cadent , externalsaid.
The road is closed between Fox Hollies Road and Eachelhurst Road.
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In the papers: Potholes prompt 'urgent works'published at 09:39 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Coventry Telegraph
Some of the headlining stories on the Coventry Telegraph website today are:
- Shocking state of city centre crossroads, external prompts "urgent works"
- Coventry's City of Culture win can "change lives" says minister, external
- Devastated family reveal home of crash victim ransacked within hours of son's death, external
Alan Pardew: Football is 'losing the plot'published at 09:29 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
BBC Sport
Rising transfer fees show that football is "losing the plot", according to West Brom manager Alan Pardew.
Image source, Getty Images
"It's difficult with the prices now to gauge what's good value," he said.
"We live in a hyper-inflated world because of the TV money received by the football clubs. Therefore, transfers and wages are going way out of kilter with real life.
"I think we're all losing the plot with the figures. It's just becoming, 'Oh okay,' and not even reacting to things any more.
Hundreds of apprentices affected by Carillion crashpublished at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) says that by the end of today, the training body will have had face-to-face meetings with 900 of the 1,400 apprentices affected by the collapse of Wolverhampton-based Carillion.
Image source, PA
Sarah Beale from the CITB said she thinks even those part-way through training have a "very, very positive" outlook.
"Already companies have proactively come forward - all different sizes of companies. My plea now is to ask other construction companies to come forward if they can provide any support or employment opportunities for these very talented individuals."
Your pictures: An icy start to the daypublished at 09:06 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
BBC Weather Watchers
BBC Weather Watcher mags said there's no wind or rain in Kidderminster this morning - it's "just cold".
Image source, mags
The windscreen needed scraping in Hednesdford- as seen in this image uploaded by Angus and me.
Image source, Angus and me
And Telford looks pretty icy, thanks to savannahuk for this image.
Image source, Savannahuk
Van crashes into housepublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
A van rammed a police car before crashing into a house just after the occupant had left the room.
Image source, West Midlands Police
The van, thought to have been stolen, went into the house in Gravelly Lane, Erdington, Birmingham, last night with the fire service saying there were no injuries as the occupier had just gone into the kitchen.
Roads were closed for a time and the van driver is in police custody.
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Express and Star: Thugs fired shotgun at rival gangpublished at 08:39 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Express and Star
The top stories in the Express and Star:
Car fills with pig sewage after road mishappublished at 08:34 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
A driver ended up with a puddle of pig poo in his car after colliding with a tractor in Derbyshire last night.
Police said, external the unfortunate motorist was overtaking the farm vehicle when they hit the sewage outlet on its trailer, sending a stream of waste pouring into the car through the driver's door.
Fortunately there were no injuries in the crash, which happened at the A515 roundabout on the A50 near Sudbury - just a nasty pong.
Image source, Derbyshire Police
Image source, Derbyshire Police
Gritting continues on 'ice rink' roadspublished at 08:30 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
It's pretty slippery in some areas with police describing one road as "an ice rink".
Gritting lorries are out and about.
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Is Peter Crouch going to Chelsea?published at 08:22 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2018
BBC Sport
The newspapers think it's possible with one of them calling it the "most incredible deal" of the transfer season.
But can Stoke City afford to lose him?
BBC Sport has all the transfer gossip.
Image source, Getty Images