Councils said in many cases they had additional income to cover the extra costs.

The hospital which treated 21-year-old Beth Shipsey has apologised for "shortcomings" in the care she received.

Worcestershire Coroner Geraint Williams said the hospital was guilty of "failures in basic medical care" while treating her.

He concluded that "adequate steps" had been taken by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust since her death and while it might have been possible for staff to save her life, they probably couldn't have prevented her death.

The hospital trust also said it wanted to reassure people that action has been taken since her death to address the issues highlighted.

Miss Shipsey died after taking pills containing diet drug DNP.

The Fire Brigades Union is warning there could be industrial action if an agreement over fire engine staffing cannot be reached with Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority.

The two sides have spent 12 months trying to agree on the size of crews and the authority is now saying it will impose changes on the service if an agreement can't be reached before the end of the month.

Barry Downy from the FBU said that imposing the changes would be "absolutely devastating for industrial relations" and the union was committed to reaching an agreement if possible.

A Worcestershire woman took her own life by taking diet pills, an inquest has concluded.

Beth Shipsey, 21, from Worcester, took an overdose of tablets containing the substance DNP in February 2017.

Image source, Family handout

Coroner Geraint Williams delivered a narrative verdict saying there were "there were significant failings in providing treatment" at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and that medical staff "failed to take sufficient and adequate steps to monitor her".

But he ruled they probably wouldn't have been able to save her life.

An abbattoir has been fined £12,000 for failing to perform proper checks.

On 12 September 2017, Birmingham Halal Abattoir Ltd in Bishop Street slaughtered 41 sheep that had not been subject to proper inspections before death, external.

The firm, which also trades as Pak Mecca Meats, had denied the charge.

Image source, Google Maps

At Birmingham Magistrates Court the firm was ordered to pay the Food Standard Agency’s (FSA) costs of £6,767, plus a £170 victim surcharge, after being found guilty.

The firm has been approached for comment.

Winger Jacques Maghoma signs a new contract with Championship side Birmingham City until 30 June 2020.

Firefighters in Herefordshire and Worcestershire face being sacked and then reinstated under new terms and conditions if they don't reach agreement on new shift patterns.

The fire authority wants to have crews of five rather than four and has been negotiating with the Fire Brigades Union for nearly 12 months.

So far they've failed to reach agreement and the authority now says if an agreement can't be reached by the end of the month, the new shift patterns will be imposed.

A 37-year-old man has been charged with assault by beating and attempting to steal a car after an incident in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Monday.

Staffordshire Police said it had received reports lighter fuel was sprayed over vehicles on Reedmace Walk, in an attempt to set them on fire.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The man was also charged with driving without insurance.

Amateur baker Lara Mason spent more than 100 hours recreating her daughters in cake.

Almost 1,000 people were evacuated from the theatre when a "technical fault" caused a loud bang.

Several hundred fish have died from pollution in the Piddle Brook, the Environment Agency has said.

It is trying to trace the source and to count the numbers that have been killed at the spot, near Pershore in Worcestershire.

Image source, Environment Agency

Officers are taking water quality readings and samples of the water.

Image source, Environment Agency

Birmingham Repertory Theatre will be open for its planned performances tonight - but without heating, hot water and possibly without toilets.

Performances of Brief Encounter and the National Student Drama Showcase will continue, but the restaurant and bar will be closed.

Free bottles of water will be given out and bar and toilet facilities are being made available to customers next door at the Symphony Hall and the ICC if theatre toilets are closed.

Audiences evacuated on Tuesday will be contacted by the box office team to arrange for tickets to be exchanged or refunded.

The cause of the technical fault which led to an explosion at about 20:00 GMT yesterday is being investigated.

Zafran Nawaz's body was not found for two days after he called 999 saying he had been stabbed.

A 33-year-old man from St Helen's has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal accident on the M6.

A car driver, a man in his 30s, died in the collision between junctions two and three near Coventry, which involved five vehicles, three lorries, a van and the car.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 01:43 GMT and the road remained closed for about eight hours.

Two other motorists were taken to hospital with leg injuries.

Leicester Tigers sign Worcester Warriors and Scotland back row forward David Denton for the 2018-19 season.

Buses in Birmingham and Coventry will be going 'green' thanks to grants totaling £4.5m

Kits will be fitted to buses to help reduce exhaust emissions.

Image source, West Midlands Combined Authority

The money for the 364 Birmingham buses comes from a £3m grant awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority by central government, with a further £2.9m coming from bus operators.

Coventry City Council has been given £1.5m with National Express giving an extra £240,500 to make the changes to 104 buses.

Limits on the number of homes that landlords can break up into multiple dwellings are being considered by Walsall Council.

It says its responding to concerns raised about the quality of the accommodation being provided.

Image source, Google

A house of multiple occupation, or HMO, is classified as a property rented by at least three people who are not in the same household.

A charity is calling on shop workers to stop "mistreating" customers who have Parkinson's.

BBC Sport

Aston Villa's director of football, Steve Round, says there was a "legacy of failure" and a "negative culture" when he took the job 18 months ago.

He went on to say they're now much more confident about the future.

Image source, Getty Images

At the same time Round admitted the Financial Fair Play rules have restricted the amount of signings they've made in the last three transfer windows.

Aston Villa brought in Bournemouth striker Lewis Grabban (pictured above) and Man United's Axel Tuanzebe in on loan in January.

Trentham Gardens (pictured below), World of Wedgwood in Stoke-on-Trent, the British Motor Museum in Gaydon and Compton Verney at Stratford-upon-Avon have all received gold awards from the tourism group Visit England, external.

The awards are for attractions which go the extra mile to provide a high quality day out, Visit England said.

Cadbury World in Birmingham, Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone Mines, Spetchley Park Gardens in Worcester, the Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke-on-Trent also got prizes, along with Aston Hall, Birmingham museum and art gallery, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and BBC Tours in Birmingham.