Robert Sampson was attacked in a Worcestershire street in November.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A "huge" cannabis factory's been found in Tipton, , externalthe contents of which, police say, could have a street value running to "hundreds of thousands of pounds".

Image source, West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police says officers raided a unit on Fisher Street this morning and seized about 400 cannabis plants.

The force says officers found two men from Albania, aged 22 and 23, who are being kept safe amid suspicion they're victims of modern slavery.

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Warwick.

Scott Bosley, 29, was found with stab wounds outside a house in Kettlewell Close, Warwick, at 22:20 on 26 December.

Image source, Police Handout

Harry Stone, 21, of Sutherland Close in the town, appeared at Warwick Crown Court today to face the charge.

The hearing was adjourned to the same court on 25 June.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A barn full of straw has been ablaze in south Staffordshire this afternoon, external.

The fire service sent four engines to the site in Bishop's Wood, near Weston-under-Lizard.

Image source, Staffordshire Fire Service

The service hasn't said whether anyone is hurt but says the straw caught fire., external

The inquest into a murdered woman, who was was let down by a raft of procedural errors by police officers, is set to resume say lawyers acting on behalf of her family.

Image source, West Midlands Police

An Independent Police Complaints Commission report into the death of Jacqueline Oakes, battered to death in 2014, found 19 officers and staff had a case to answer for misconduct in their dealings with her.

An earlier inquest into her death was opened and adjourned in 2014 due to the criminal proceedings taking place against Marcus Musgrove, who was subsequently found guilty of her murder.

The 40-year-old was jailed for life.

BBC News Travel

Traffic has been stopped on the M42 southbound between junctions 10 for Tamworth and nine for Cudworth because of a collision.

Highways England says it's taking the opportunity to fix a pothole too.

Services at two of Shropshire's maternity units are being suspended again because of staff sickness.

The unit in Ludlow will close for 12 hours from tonight and the one in Oswestry will be closed all weekend.

It hasn't been possible to give birth at Shrewsbury's maternity unit since 11 December because of damage to the roof and the hospital can't say when it will reopen.

During the closures, women giving birth will have to travel to Telford or Bridgnorth, unless they want to give birth at home, or go outside the county.

A new witness has come forward with information about missing Coventry teenager Nicola Payne.

The 18-year-old went missing while walking across wasteland near her parent's house in Coventry in December 1991.

At a press conference this afternoon, Nicola's parents, John and Marilyn Payne, confirmed police had now received new information following the forensic search at Coombe Abbey this week.

A £100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the discovery Nicola's body.

Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

A former Staffordshire Police custody sergeant has been found not guilty of attacking a suspect inside a cell in Stoke-on-Trent.

Andrew Pass, 55, was on duty on 1 April 2017 when a man with a history of mental health problems was seen banging his head against the cell door and shouting, North Staffs Justice Centre was told.

Image source, Google

Prosecutors said he had pushed, punched and kicked the man when he went into the cell with another officer.

Mr Pass, who has since retired from the force, had denied the allegations and this afternoon a district judge found him not guilty of the offence.

Historians at the University of Southampton have mapped the trading routes of medieval shipping which helped "sow the seeds of the British maritime empire".

More than 50,000 ship movements from 600 ports around England, Wales and the Channel Islands, dating between 1400 and 1580 have been compiled for the interactive map and database, external.

Researchers found most shipping at the time was done between local ports rather than going abroad with traders opting for ships rather than using the country's mud-track roads.

They also found that, as well as familiar ports still in use such as Southampton, Falmouth, Cardiff and Liverpool, a large number of smaller coastal and river towns were once bustling ports, including Bewdley on the River Severn in Worcestershire, which has 200 voyages logged in the database.

Image source, Peter Facey

Herefordshire Council has agreed to increase council tax by 4.9% from April - that’s around £70 a year for the average band D property.

The authority has also agreed close to £200m of spending for the next financial year.

Image source, Google

Herefordshire Council says it needs to find £13m in cuts and savings over the next year.

Lee Blakeman
Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Port Vale manager Neil Aspin says there is no truth in the rumours that Marcus Harness is returning to his parent club, Burton Albion.

The 21 year-old joined the Vale on a season-long loan under previous manager Michael Brown.

Image source, Getty Images

He signed a new contract with Burton yesterday, but Aspin said he had not had any contact with Burton about the loan.

Derby's former England striker Darren Bent has joined Championship rivals Burton on loan for the rest of the season.

A man who breached a non-molestation order and tried to stab his ex-partner with a kitchen knife at her home in Tamworth has today been jailed for nine years, with an extra three years on license.

Stephen Rose, who is 43 and from Bright Crescent in Tamworth, was found guilty of attempted wounding by a jury at Stafford Crown Court.

He had already admitted breaching the court order and having an offensive weapon.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Rose attacked the woman in her kitchen after she ended the relationship

A police officer who had been called to her house and members of her family intervened to stop him, the CPS said.

Coventry Telegraph

Some of the main stories on the Coventry Telegraph website today are:

• Coventry teenager who wanted to join ISIS is jailed for terrorism offences, external
• Teen slasher jailed for unprovoked knife attack in Coventry, external
• School run drama as crash closes busy road near hospital, external

Tim Page
News Editor, BBC Shropshire

A Shropshire councillor who was taken to court over non-payment of council tax says it was down to a mix-up.

Steve Davenport, who's now a cabinet member on the council, was sent six reminders and a summons over arrears of more than £600 in the last financial year.

Image source, Shropshire Council

Details emerged in a Freedom of Information request by Private Eye magazine. The legal process was cancelled when the money was paid and it emerged the summons had been sent to the wrong address.

Councillor Davenport told BBC Radio Shropshire the situation arose when a tenant left his house suddenly.

He initially disputed the demand for payment, and had to stand down from voting on financial matters for a while, but says he eventually decided to pay up.

An energy firm's proposals to carry out tests for gas in Cheshire - which critics say could lead to fracking - have been refused by councillors.

Cheshire West and Chester Council's planning committee voted 10 to 1 to reject IGas's plans for Ellesmere Port because of "climate change" concerns.

Anti-fracking campaigner Matt Bryan said the company's plan was "a prequel to full-scale fracking".

IGas denied this and said it would consider an appeal against the ruling.

Localised flooding has closed Gate Lane in Dorridge, says Solihull Council.

The authority is having to carry out emergency repairs to the carriageway, which is likely to be closed for the next five days.

Image source, Solihull Council

Two High Court judges say they will "quash" the decision not to name potential suspects.

Facebook

Praise has been flooding in on the BBC Midlands Facebook page after we told you about the story of a former homeless man who was offered a job by a man who saw him sitting at some traffic lights.

Kriss Wilkes, 23, said he used to beg on Stratford Road in Birmingham and was given a job by Shezad Zaman, who runs a car washing business in the city.

Among the many comments on the Facebook page, Hector Muhammad posted, external: "Doesn’t matter if you're black or white regardless of religion we in Birmingham unite."

Brett Bowers added, external: "I wish more employers would come forward and offer the people sleeping rough on the streets jobs, a chance at life."

Panna Sordar wrote, external: "Humanity is the best! Great job Shezad!"

Rik Freeman typed, external: "What an absolute star and inspiration Shezad is, also the lad who he gave the chance to."