Fire crews have been dealing with a "severe" house fire on Charfield Close in Bournville, Birmingham.

The fire engulfed the house this afternoon, with firefighters describing conditions as "extremely hard".

Four crews used breathing apparatus to access the property and are still on site.

No one is believed to have been injured.

Honours are just about even between Hampshire and Worcestershire after a topsy-turvy opening day of the County Championship season.

Worcestershire lost a late wicket on the first day of the cricket season.

Hampshire were bowled out for 290, with James Vince and Gareth Berg (pictured) both scoring 75 on the opening day of the County Championship fixture at the Ageas Bowl, in Southampton.

In reply, Worcestershire lost Brett D'Oliveira and Tom Fell cheaply.

Nightwatchman Josh Tongue faced a tough few overs, but survived as the visitors finished on 40-2.

Image source, PA

Solihull police have launched an appeal for information after two would-be crooks were captured on CCTV using a relay device to try and steal a Range Rover.

The footage shows two men walking up to a house, carrying relay devices, capable of picking up signals from car key fobs inside and then transmitting the signal to the car.

Image source, West Midlands Police

If used successfully, the car’s systems are tricked into thinking the key is present, enabling thieves to unlock the car and start the engine.

One of the men can be seen waving a relay box in front of the property on Silhill Hall Road on 17 March, but both run off when the equipment fails.

The opening day of Warwickshire's Division Two County Championship match against Sussex is washed out without any play.

A mother who accidentally dropped her keys in a drain in Wolverhampton has praised the council and construction workers who helped her retrieve them.

The mother, who was with her autistic son at the time and wishes to remain anonymous, said she was in a "horrible panic" after dropping her keys in a gully outside St Peter’s Square.

Image source, Wolverhampton Council

Water had to be drained from the four-foot gully before the keys could be retrieved using long-reach tools.

The woman described the two council officers, Ndey Isatou-Jobe and Andrea Beckford, and two construction workers, brothers, Tom and Joeb Lappage, as "true heroes".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A major review of dental services in Birmingham and Solihull for those who need more specialist care is currently under way, with hundreds of patients already interviewed.

NHS England is carrying out an assessment of the support available to those whose requirements are too complex to be dealt with at a standard high street dentist.

Image source, Thinkstock

The aim of the review is to understand how the service works, identify options for improving treatment and assess budget constraints.

Councillors who sit on Birmingham and Solihull’s Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be updated on progress throughout the review.

It's now 30 years since the death of John Stonehouse, the former Labour MP.

Worcester News

These main stories are on the Worcester News website today:

• Severe delays expected on routes through the city as New Road closes for the weekend, external
• Shocked mum wants security guard after child brawl, external
• Potential Worcester City ground causing friction, external

More than a third of shops, tested as part of a campaign to reduce knife crime, sold knives to underage volunteers in part of Staffordshire.

Image source, Getty Images

It's illegal in England to sell a knife to anyone under the age of 18, unless it has a folding blade three inches long (7.62 cm) or less. , external

The county council says four shops out of 11 they visited in Newcastle-under-Lyme earlier this month sold knives to their underage volunteers, including kitchen knives and retractable blades.

Staffordshire saw violent crime rise by 14% for the year ending in September 2017 to almost 29,000 offences, compared to the 12 months up to September 2016., external

We told you earlier that a police officer's grave is going to be rededicated this weekend after being restored from a very overgrown state.

Well, West Mercia Police has tweeted a couple of photos today to show the work done on PC Howard Overton's grave in Malvern:

Image source, West Mercia Police

Image source, West Mercia Police

The RSPCA is appealing for information after two puppies were abandoned in a bush on 1 April.

A member of the public said they witnessed a man and a woman dump the puppies in a bush in Stallings Lane, Kingswinford, at about 15:15, before driving off in a BMW.

They retrieved the puppies and called the RSPCA.

Image source, RSPCA

RSPCA inspector Vicki Taylor said the puppies were in reasonable health but that their abandonment was "callous".

They have since been taken to the charity's animal centre in Birmingham, where staff nicknamed them Bonnie and Clyde.

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

A new report suggests cuts to drugs and alcohol services in Staffordshire are putting pressure on emergency services and leading to relapses.

In 2016, the county council agreed savings of £3.4m to the services due to a shortfall in its budget., external

Image source, Getty Images

Healthwatch Staffordshire says it's spoken, external to people battling addictions about their experiences and how the cuts have affected them.

The watchdog's drawn up a report saying it's found users had a more positive experience of the previous services and they were more effective at keeping them off drugs and alcohol.

The county council says it worked with both clinicians and providers to redesign a safe and effective service and says all the evidence shows that this has been achieved.

Fifteen councils in the West Midlands are up for up for election on 3 May, including the whole of Birmingham City Council and a third of seats in Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

The deadline to register to vote is just a few days away on 17 April.

You can do so online on the government website, external.

Coventry Telegraph

The Coventry Telegraph's covering these stories today:

• '1,000 jobs' to be scrapped by Jaguar Land Rover, external
• Burglar believed he was a 'Messiah' while on Coventry crime spree, external
• Up to 180 new flats could be built on garage, external

Two boys, aged 16 and 17, have been arrested on suspicion of murdering Viktorija Sokolova.

The suspect has been released under investigation in a probe that been ongoing for almost a year.

Police have named the teenage girl whose body was found in Wolverhampton’s West Park, as Lithuanian-born Viktorija Sokolova.

The 14-year-old was reported missing on Wednesday, but found dead just after 07:00 on Thursday.

Image source, Family handout/West Midlands Police

A post-mortem examination concluded she died from blunt force trauma to her head.

Two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, arrested this morning on suspicion of her murder remain in police custody.

West Park is expected to remain closed over the weekend while a comprehensive forensic examination is conducted.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Councillors have backed calls to safeguard one of Solihull’s best-known historical landmarks after thousands signed an online petition.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council heard there was “uncertainty” surrounding the future of the Elmdon Terminal and Control Tower and there was support for giving the building listed status.

More than 4,000 people have put their names to an online petition, which suggests that the Art Deco-style building could be released to a conservation group so that it can be restored to its former glory.

The building is already subject to a section 106 agreement which requires the airport company to "preserve the character and appearance" of the building.

HMRC, as a creditor, has filed a winding-up petition in respect of Betterware Ltd.