Summary

  • Click on Related Stories to read updates from your area

  • Updates from Monday 14 May to Friday 18 May

Live Reporting

  1. Fire at primary school 'probably deliberate'

    A fire at a disused primary school building in Stourport-on-Severn was probably started deliberately, West Mercia Police has said.

    Officers were called to the storeroom at Burlish Park Primary School on Windermere Way on Saturday 12 May and say they are reviewing CCTV footage.

    Burlish Park Primary SchoolGoogle

    PC Sam Maher added: "We would also urge parents to reiterate safety messages to their children, reminding them of the dangers of trespassing and playing on derelict sites."

  2. Crouch wants Stoke to sign 'quality players' this summer

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke City striker Peter Crouch says adding quality players to the squad this summer will be key to whether the team can get back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

    He said it was important to also keep the "nucleus of good players" they have, but warned that clubs can become stuck in the Championship if they don't bounce back quickly.

    Peter CrouchGetty Images

    It's believed the club have no plans to make a quick decision on the future of manager Paul Lambert.

    I think the first season's important, because you can get stuck there. And I think that's proven by some big clubs that are still scratching around the Championship, wanting to get back."

    Peter Crouch, Stoke City striker

  4. Four-year-old with dementia gets Santa wish come true

    A four-year-old boy with a rare disease has been taken to meet Santa early, in a bid to help him preserve some happy memories.

    George Young from Kenilworth in Warwickshire has Batten's Disease, which affects his nervous system and has left him unable to walk or talk.

    George Young from Kenilworth has Batten's Disease, which affects his nervous system

    He will eventually lose most of his memories, so his mother, Claire Young, came up with a list of experiences, including a helicopter ride, a visit to Buckingham Palace and a trip to Peppa Pig World, to keep them in his thoughts for as long as possible.

    Before he lost his speech, one of the few words that he has was actually Santa, so it has really extra special meaning to us that he is able to meet him in person."

    Claire Young, Mother of George Young

  5. Woman charged over fatal crash

    A woman from Redditch has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, following a fatal crash in the town 12 months ago.

    Oliver Paul Sellers died after a collision on the A435 Coventry Highway on 27 May 2017.

    The 24-year-old woman is due to appear in Warwickshire Magistrates' Court in June 2018.

  6. Trust seeks to offload four schools

    A cash-strapped trust running seven academies is cutting staff and trying to offload some of its schools.

    Read More

  7. Universities plan to open vet school

    Harper Adams University and Keele University have confirmed they will open a new veterinary school in 2020.

    The new school will run a five-year course leading to a degree in Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and the universities are hoping to get accreditation from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, allowing students to practice as vets as soon as they graduate.

    Cow

    The courses will be taught at both campuses and the universities have also promised the new school will reach out to those who may not have traditionally considered a career as a vet.

  8. Music venue blaze tackled by 50 firefighters

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    There are now about 50 firefighters tackling the warehouse blaze this morning in Wolverhampton.

    Starworks WarehouseGoogle

    The fire service has confirmed it's in the Starworks Warehouse, a music and events venue, on Frederick Street.

    Having been first called at 07:45, the service says its crews are making "good progress" in containing the blaze, thought to be on the ground floor.

  9. MP back at Westminster after breaking back

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    The north Shropshire MP Owen Paterson says he's returning to Westminster work this week, several months after he broke his back in a riding accident.

    Owen Paterson

    Mr Paterson was out riding in January when he fell from his horse, breaking three vertebrae.

    He said at the time he felt "lucky to be alive" and, while still able to work then, he wasn't able to return to London.

    Today, he's tweeted to say he'll be interviewed on BBC radio to mark his return to Westminster and thanked NHS staff for his treatment.

  11. Visa refusals 'causing hospital recruitment problems'

    Hospitals in Worcestershire are finding it difficult to fill some positions because the Home Office has refused visas for 11 Indian doctors who were recruited last summer.

    The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust says seven other foreign doctors have previously had their applications rejected, because a national quota for doctors has been reached.

    Worcester Royal HospitalPA

    Patients' body Healthwatch Worcestershire is calling on the Bromsgrove MP and Home Secretary Sajid Javid, to intervene.

  12. Road closes due to 'window hanging off building'

    Louise Hancock
    Newsreader, BBC WM

    Part of a busy Birmingham road is closed off this morning because of part of a window hanging off a building, police say.

    Traffic is being diverted away from Suffolk Street Queensway, near the Mailbox, causing long delays in the area.

    Fire engine at building

  13. Dozens of firefighters battle warehouse blaze

    About 40 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a warehouse in Wolverhampton this morning.

    Frederick Street, WolverhamptonGoogle

    The fire service says it was called at 07:45 to the two-storey building on Frederick Street.

    They say the blaze looks to be in the ground floor involving about a tenth of the warehouse and they're battling to stop it spreading.

  14. Fewer crimes ending with charges - check your police area

    Police say budget cuts are making it more difficult to investigate. Find out how your force is doing.

    Read More

  15. Murder inquiry after man shot

    A murder investigation has been launched after a man died after being shot last night in Birmingham.

    Officers say they believe the victim was in Stratford Place, Highgate, when he was shot in the chest.

    They say the man, who died in hospital, is thought to be in his 20s and from Small Heath.

  16. Joe Allen a doubt for Wales

    BBC Sport

    Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen may miss Wales's friendly against Mexico in California on 29 May.

    Joe AllenGetty Images

    The 28-year-old suffered a recent foot injury and so may not be named today by manager Ryan Giggs in his squad for the game.

  17. Sharp rise in North West hospitals put on highest alert

    Hospitals in the North West of England were placed on the highest level of alert 32 times during the winter of 2017-18, the BBC has learned.

    Ambulances in snowGetty Images

    Trusts only declared two such "Opel 4" alerts, meaning a potential for patient safety to be compromised, in 2016-17.

    All 32 alerts were declared in Cheshire and Merseyside, according to Freedom of Information request responses.

    NHS England said "prolonged bad weather" and "a rise in the severity of illness" had put trusts under pressure.

  18. Signalling fault delays Birmingham trains

    BBC News Travel

    Some trains in Birmingham may be delayed this morning because of a fault with the signalling system.

    West Midlands Railways says it's affecting services between Birmingham Snow Hill and the Jewellery Quarter.

  19. Marston's reports soaring sales

    BBC Business News

    Wolverhampton-based Marston's says strong trading at its pubs has seen its income rise by 20% to £528.1m for the six months up to 31 March.

    Group of friends toasting with beer glasses in the pub.Getty Images

    The firm owns chains including Pitcher & Piano and brews ales such as Lancaster Bomber, Brakspear and Mansfield.

    A year ago, it posted revenues of £440.8m and the company says it expects more income and profit growth through this year.

  20. Stoke's Butland expected to be confirmed for World Cup

    BBC Sport

    Stoke City's Jack Butland is expected to be named in England manager Gareth Southgate's 23-man squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.

    Jack Butland in England topGetty Images

    Yesterday, the BBC reported that goalkeeper Joe Hart would not be included, clearing the way for Butland.

    England start their Group G campaign against Tunisia on 18 June, before games against Panama on 24 June and Belgium on 28 June.

    England will play Nigeria on 2 June and Costa Rica on 7 June in home friendlies before leaving for Russia.