Summary

  • Updates from Monday 12 to Friday 16 March

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  1. Councillor resigns with immediate effectpublished at 17:00 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    A councillor has stepped down from Worcester City Council, due to "personal and family reasons", the local authority has said.

    Labour's Elaine Williams has stepped down with immediate effect.

    Elaine WilliamsImage source, Worcester City Council

    Her Wardnon seat will go before voters on the same day as the main city council elections on 3 May.

  2. Gym locker thief jailed for three yearspublished at 16:58 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Michal Tkacz took phones, watches and bank cards while members exercised or showered nearby.

    Read More
  3. Rail disruption for cup final avoidedpublished at 16:49 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Work on the rail line between Shrewsbury and Birmingham has been rescheduled by Network Rail, so it doesn't clash with Shrewsbury Town's trip to Wembley for the Checkatrade Trophy final.

    The track maintenance would have meant no trains until 11:00 on 8 April, affecting many fans wanting to travel down to the match.

    Rail work

    The work will now finish sooner, to allow services to run from 08:10 on the day of the game.

  4. Fans unhappy at coach parking for Wembley gamepublished at 16:39 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Shrewsbury Town fans travelling to the Checkatrade Trophy final at Wembley will have to walk a mile to the stadium, because they can't park near the ground, the Official Supporters Club has said.

    It said it was told this was because Lincoln City supporters' coaches had taken all the available spaces near the ground.

    WembleyImage source, Getty Images

    The Official Supporters Club said all Shrewsbury coaches would be parking on an industrial estate and that there would be "restricted parking" due to work being carried out.

    We have approached Wembley for a response.

  5. Man wanted over 'coconut milk' cocaine bidpublished at 16:27 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    BBC WM

    Investigators are trying to find an Erdington man charged with importing 10kg of cocaine from Jamaica disguised as coconut milk powder.

    Dwayne Johnson, 38, was arrested after he got off a flight at Birmingham Airport in 2016.

    He was bailed but went on the run, six other people, charged in connection with the same thing are due to stand trial in June.

  6. Boy hit by car in crash near schoolpublished at 16:14 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018
    Breaking

    Michelle Dawes
    BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

    A teenage boy has been injured after being hit by a car, the ambulance service has said.

    It happened on Leicester Road, close to Etone College, at the the junction with Trent Road, Nuneaton just before 15:00.

    The road is partly closed near Etone College and diversions are in place, police say.

    The boy was treated at scene by a critical care unit and is now being transferred to hospital.

  7. Police warn of road closurepublished at 16:12 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018
    Breaking

    Police in Nuneaton are warning people to avoid the area by Leicester Road and Etone School.

    They said traffic was being diverted and had no estimate of when it would reopen.

  8. Man burnt as he dragged flaming mattresspublished at 16:04 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Firefighters say a man who suffered burns while tackling a house fire in Staffordshire had been trying to drag a burning mattress out into the front garden.

    Staffordshire fire and rescue service said he needed treatment for superficial burns, but "he could easily have sustained far more serious injuries".

    Burning windowsImage source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

    When firefighters arrived at 18:54 yesterday, they found his bedroom was well alight and the fire did "significant damage" to the house.

  9. Students' tributes to Stephen Hawkingpublished at 15:59 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Schoolchildren explain what Stephen Hawking meant to them.

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  10. Buses diverted in Nuneatonpublished at 15:53 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Buses in Nuneaton are being diverted due to a road closure put in place by police.

    Stagecoach Midlands said routes 1, 2, 4 and 48 are currently affected.

    We'll bring you more information on this incident as we get it.

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  11. MP backs plastic tax proposalpublished at 15:36 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    A Warwickshire MP is backing the chancellor's proposals for a single-use plastic tax.

    Phillip Hammond unveiled the move in his spring statement.

    The Rugby MP Mark Pawsey used to run a packaging firm and welcomes the move.

    Plastic on a beachImage source, CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES

    However, a green think tank has warned of the risk of unintended consequences from the wave of concern about plastics.

    The Green Alliance, a parliamentary group, said plastics played a valuable role and couldn't be simply abolished.

  12. Stoke manager targets win over Evertonpublished at 15:26 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    The Stoke City manager, Paul Lambert, says the match against Everton on Saturday is a must-win for his side.

    The Potters go into the game off the back of Monday's 2-0 defeat to the Premier League leaders Manchester City and are in 19th place.

    Paul LambertImage source, Getty Images

    A win could lift them out of the relegation zone, if other results go their way, but they are without a victory since the 2-0 win over Huddersfield on 20 January.

    Quote Message

    I saw them Saturday against Brighton and I know it's going to be a really tough game and it's a game you have to go and win."

    Paul Lambert, Stoke City manager

  13. Dignity looks to consultants to boost funeral businesspublished at 15:08 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    BBC Business News

    Dignity, the UK's only listed funeral business, says it's bringing in consultants as it looks to improve its prospects for the future.

    Earlier this year, the Sutton Coldfield-based firm said it would reduce or freeze some of its funeral prices.

    CoffinsImage source, Getty Images

    It has now retained LEK Consulting to advise it on a strategy for the funeral business which will include testing out different price and service combinations.

    It said that its crematoria business "continues to perform well ". Dignity said of the three new crematoria currently under construction, "the first should open in the second quarter of 2018".

  14. Telford abuse: 'Absolute commitment to victims'published at 14:57 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    BBC Shropshire

    Telford council leader Shaun Davies said in the wake of a Daily Mirror investigation into sex abuse cases in Telford, the main concern should be the victims.

    "I think, rightly, the focus has been in recent years about how our services now are operating in the borough," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

    Data pictureImage source, BBC/Getty

    "Where I think there has been a point of void is around these allegations in the 1990s, the 2000s, and 2010s in the lead up to those convictions for Operation Chalice.

    "My absolute commitment is to victims who are victims today. I’ve spoken to some of their families to ensure they get the support they need.

    "Of course the difficulty will be that if the money comes from existing services, that then takes away resources from existing priorities, but let’s talk about that after we’ve commissioned this review."

  15. Calls for Bennell independent inquirypublished at 14:44 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    BBC Radio Stoke

    Town councillors are demanding Crewe Alexandra holds an independent inquiry about its former coach Barry Bennell who was jailed for child abuse.

    Barry Bennell

    The club has gone back on its original promise to hold an investigation after the police found no evidence that people currently working at Crewe knew what Bennell was up to.

    Crewe Alexandra has declined to comment on the council's decision.

  16. 'Worried' Wolves wait on Jota injurypublished at 14:43 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    "Worried" Championship leaders Wolves wait to discover the extent of top scorer Diogo Jota's ankle injury.

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  17. PM asked about Telford child abuse casespublished at 14:42 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Telford's MP raises the "distressing cases" of child sex exploitation, where an independent inquiry has been ordered.

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  18. MP asked about Telford child abuse casespublished at 14:38 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    Telford's MP raised the "distressing cases" of child sex exploitation in the Shopshire town, where an independent inquiry has been ordered.

    Conservative Lucy Allan asked the prime minister to congratulate the campaigner and the journalist who highlighted the case.

    Theresa May says everyone has been "shocked by the horrific case" in Telford with "some of the most vulnerable in our country being preyed upon by ruthless criminals".

  19. Man injured as he tried to fight firepublished at 14:29 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March 2018

    A man hospitalised this morning after a house fire in Huntington, was injured after he tried to tackle the blaze, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

    The organisation is urging people to "get out, stay out" if there's a fire.

    Fire damageImage source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
    Quote Message

    Fortunately the occupier’s burns were only superficial but he could easily have sustained far more serious injuries. He was also not able to contain the fire which has caused significant damage to his home."

    Bob Preston, Group Manager, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service