The MP for Telford, Lucy Allan, says it's "absolutely right we're shining a light" on the issue of child sex exploitation and believes an inquiry is needed in the town.

She said Telford and Wrekin's Council's support for an independent investigation was "good news for the victims".

Image source, UK Parliament

Ms Allan also pointed out the seven Telford men jailed in 2012 "were of Pakistani origin, the victims were of white origin" and "that was the case in Rotherham and in other places across the country".

She added: "We shouldn’t shy away from it and we shouldn’t bury our heads in the sand."

BBC Sport

Stoke City's battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League's taken another twist with news that their former boss Mark Hughes could be about to join one of their rivals.

Image source, PA

He is in talks with Southampton over becoming the Premier League club's next manager, with a deal expected to be completed on Wednesday.

Saints sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday, with the team one point and one place above the relegation zone.

Hughes, 54, was sacked by Stoke in January with the Potters facing the drop but now he could play a hand in sending them down if he joins and is successful with Southampton.

If he's appointed their manager he won't face his former club this season, Stoke having already faced Southampton home and away.

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

Land near the main Commonwealth Games site in Perry Barr has been earmarked for development as part of a £350m scheme.

In all, 215,000 homes are to be built across the West Midlands by 2031, and mayor Andy Street said most of these would go on brownfield land.

A rail corridor between Walsall and Wolverhampton has also been identified.

The funding, announced in the chancellor's Spring Statement, will be partly used to clean up former industrial sites.

However, Mr Street said he could not rule out developments on greenbelt land.

Worcester News

These headlines are from the Worcester News today:

• 2,000 at Droitwich car park, external to meet ‘Dessert King’
• New trainee engineers for Worcestershire, external
• New post office to open next week, external

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

About 150 former Carillion workers have been taken on by competitor Balfour Beatty, its boss said.

Carillion, based in Wolverhampton, collapsed in January with debts of about £1.5bn.

Image source, Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty's chief executive Leo Quinn said Carillion had been undercutting its competitors and its demise had given the surviving firms all a boost.

The Crown Prosecution Service has announced it will not be charging two former senior West Midlands Police officers in relation to the investigation conducted by the force into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster.

The man responsible for policing in Telford, Supt Tom Harding, says there are "a significant amount of resources that work on child sex exploitation" in the town.

While describing child sexual exploitation as "one of the most abhorrent crimes" police deal with, he said he said he didn't believe "Telford is any worse than lots of places across England and Wales".

He added that newspaper headlines and "guesses" about Telford were "unhelpful" and do a "disservice to the excellent work here in the last few years at least."

Image source, CHRISTOPHER FURLONG

Supt Harding went on to say: "We've put a huge amount of time into educating children, teachers, parents, what are the warning signs, what is there to look out for so we can all try and look after people."

And he said work had also been done with hotels, pubs, taxi drivers and door staff, to make them aware of the risks posed to young people.

BBC Radio Stoke

BBC Radio Stoke is celebrating its 50th birthday today.

The station was the first local radio station to be launched by the BBC in the West Midlands.

To mark the anniversary, you'll be able to hear presenters from the past and present on air, including Bruno Brookes, Jason Dean, Kevin Fernihough and Sam Plank’s wife and former producer, Verity Hilton.

Two men who died when a motorbike was involved in a crash with a car are believed to be aged 18 and 19, West Midlands Police said.

The force said the pair, a driver and passenger on the motorbike, were travelling along Broadway West at about 23:30 when the collision happened between the junctions of Lord Street and Alexandra Road.

The driver of the car, a 58-year-old man, from Walsall, is in police custody, arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving.

The men's next of kin have been informed.

The road remains cordoned off.

PC Karl Davies said: "This is a heart-breaking incident in which two young men have lost their lives…it appears they were heading home together from work when the collision happened."

BBC News Travel

All lanes are now open on the M54 heading westbound, between junctions two for Wolverhampton and three for Cosford.

Highways England said it had been caused by a car fire and warned there were long delays still, but they should now start to ease.

Express and Star

Among others, the Express and Star is featuring these stories on its website today:

• English Defence League to return to Walsall, external
• 'Massive bill' for standards probe over Bill Etheridge's , externalonline rants
• Nearly 100 jobs set to be axed at, external HomeServe

BBC Radio 5 live

Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, has been speaking to BBC 5 Live this morning, when he was asked for his thoughts on the Telford abuse case.

He said: "It’s self-evident that one of the reasons those kinds of horrific crimes were able to go on for such a long time is too many people in authority felt that they shouldn’t say anything because they'd be labelled racist and that's completely unacceptable."

"Imagine if this was the other way around and imagine if there were white grooming, white gangs of men, grooming Asian girls, imagine the outcry that would have caused and equally there should be an outcry about what’s happened here."

Mr Javid went on to say there can "never" be a situation again where "authorities feel that they can’t deal with perpetrators of a crime just because they might be labelled racist or bigoted in any way."

BBC Hereford and Worcester

A school in Hereford has been told it has to close this summer, despite an Ofsted report saying it was taking "effective actions" to improve.

Robert Owen Academy was placed in special measures in 2016 and trustees say they are considering all their options.

Image source, Google

The Regional Schools Commissioner says it must close in August meaning 47 pupils would need to find places at other schools.

Two lanes are closed on the M6 near J10 because of a broken-down HGV.

Recovery crews are at the scene.

Monica Rimmer
BBC News

A motorcylce rider and his passenger have died after their bike was in collision with a car.

A 58-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving.

It happened on Broadway West in Walsall at about 23:30, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

Image source, Google

Both men were in cardiac arrests when crews arrived, and were confirmed dead at the scene.

The service thanked police officers who assisted with CPR.

Highways England is warning of long delays on the M54 after a car fire.

One lane is closed westbound between J2 and J3, but lane two is open.

Fire crews are dealing with car a fire on the M54 westbound between J2 for Wolverhampton and J3 for Weston.

Central Motorway Police has warned motorists to expect delays.

BBC Sport

Queens Park Rangers upset Aston Villa's automatic promotion hopes as they eased to only their third Championship away win of the season, beating Villa 1-3.

Villa's first home defeat in four months leaves them seven points behind second-placed Cardiff and 10 points adrift of leaders Wolves, both of whom won on Tuesday.

Villa boss Steve Bruce had already warned of the danger of complacency in the wake of Saturday's thumping win over Wolves.

BBC Sport

Championship leaders Wolves bounced back from Saturday's heavy defeat at Aston Villa with victory over struggling Reading at Molineux.

The hosts were frustrated for much of the first half, until full-back Matt Doherty capitalised on hesitant defending to nod Wolves in front.

Cool second-half finishes from Benik Afobe and Doherty sealed three points.

Image source, Getty Images

Staffordshire Fire service says it has crews dealing with a "serious" house fire in Huntington.

It said the ambulance service is also in attendance.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service