Summary

  • Click on related stories to read updates from your area

  • Live updates from Tuesday 29 May to Friday 1 June

Live Reporting

  1. Thunderstorms forecast: City braces for more flooding

    Drains are being checked and home owners warned to be prepared for potential flooding in Birmingham.

    Parts of the West Midlands suffered heavy deluges of rain at the weekend, with some parts of the city seeing more than a month's rainfall in an hour.

    Residents filmed the flooded streets around Birmingham at the weekend

    A man in his 80s died after his car was submerged in flood-waters in Walsall.

    With more heavy thunderstorms forecast from this afternoon by the Met Office, Birmingham City Council says it wants people to be prepared.

    The authority says its staff are checking and clearing drains, rivers and waterways but is also urging residents to prepare for flooding and protect their homes.

  2. Google launches solar power service

    BBC News Technology

    Google is offering a new service, which it says could help British homeowners save money by switching to solar power.

    The tech giant has released an online tool called Project Sunroof, which is now available in select UK regions, including Birmingham.

    Hands working on solar panelGetty Images

    The company is working in partnership with energy supplier Eon, and says the tool estimates savings using data from Google's Earth and Maps apps.

    It first launched in the US in 2015, where reviews suggested it was broadly accurate but gave some odd results.

  3. Pledge on reducing knife crime after fatal teen stabbings

    Leona Smart
    Broadcast Journalist, BBC WM

    Work is being done to tackle knife crime, police say, following the second fatal teenage stabbing this month.

    Keelan Wilson, pictured with his mother KellyFamily Handout

    Keelan Wilson (pictured), 15, was taken to hospital after being found in Wolverhampton on Tuesday but died there.

    On 17 May, Ozell Pemberton, 16, was found with chest injuries in Sutton Coldfield and died at the scene.

    It also follows a series of shootings in the West Midlands.

    He [Keelan] was at the start of his life and it’s ended absolutely prematurely and we need to stop it happening to other young people in our city."

    Ch Supt Jayne Meir, West Midlands Police

    There's excellent work being done in our schools and by some independent bodies. I've put £2m into my gangs and violence work we're doing, that is bringing mentors in between gangs to stop this sort of violence happening."

    David Jamieson, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands

  4. Thunderstorm warnings upgraded for West Midlands
    Breaking

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    A weather warning for heavy thunderstorms has been upgraded from yellow to amber for parts of the West Midlands today.

    Area covered by weather warningsMet Office

    The Met Office says the amber alert, from 16:00 today until 06:00 tomorrow, covers most of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

    It says that means those areas could experience torrential downpours, flooding and lots of lightning.

    The Met Office has also extended its yellow weather warning for rain to cover the whole of the West Midlands from now until 09:00 tomorrow.

  5. Police investigated for 'abuse of power for sexual gain'

    Local Democracy Reporting Service
    Tom Dare

    Seven West Midlands Police officers have been investigated for "abuse of power for sexual gain" in the last 18 months, it's been revealed.

    The incidents emerged at a recent Strategic Policing and Crime Board meeting, although the details of the individual allegations remain unknown.

    West Midlands Police badgeGetty Images

    It was confirmed four officers faced a local investigation into charges in 2017, with one facing a force investigation into their conduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

    Plus there were two incidents recorded this year, although neither of them have been concluded.

    All the other five cases have been closed but the conclusions haven't yet been made public.

  7. M6 delays: Driver unhurt after lorry overturns

    The driver of the lorry that overturned on the roundabout in Birmingham close to the M6 hasn't suffered any injuries.

    Emergency crews around the lorryWest Midlands Fire Service

    The vehicle's on its side under the motorway itself on Salford Circus, causing delays to traffic either coming off the motorway or trying to get on at Spaghetti Junction.

    West Midlands Ambulance Service says the driver managed to get out of his cab on his own.

  8. Parking warden plans set for approval

    Plans to introduce council parking wardens in Telford are expected to be confirmed later today.

    Earlier this year Telford and Wrekin Council reached an agreement with the police to take over enforcement for an initial four years - for which West Mercia Police would pay it £200,000.

    Telford and Wrekin CouncilGoogle

    If the authority's cabinet approves the move, when it meets tonight, the council will need to apply to the Department for Transport for the transfer of powers from the police.

    If it then passes the necessary legal hurdles, Civil Parking Enforcement could go live in Telford and Wrekin next summer.

  9. Overturned lorry causes M6 delays
    Breaking

    BBC News Travel

    Delays are building on and around the M6 in Birmingham this morning after a lorry overturned on a roundabout near a motorway junction.

    Overturned lorryWMAS

    Highways England says it's happened on Salford Circus, underneath Spaghetti Junction, and one lane is shut.

    It says traffic is delayed from the M6 northbound, and southbound from the A5127 and A38 at the roundabout.

    The fire service says they had to help the driver to get free but his injuries and condition haven't yet been revealed.

  10. Your photos: Flowers bloom on dull day

    BBC Weather Watchers

    A lot of our BBC Weather Watchers are reporting a grey, overcast day but there's still some brightness around, including from flowers blooming.

    These two are from users Rons View in Coleshill and Bluedook in Astley:

    AstleyBluedook
    ColeshillRons View

  11. Kayaker Joe Clarke 'just loving it' ahead of championships

    BBC Midlands Today

    Staffordshire's Olympic gold-medal-winning canoeist Joe Clarke says he's more motivated than ever ahead of the European Championships, which start in the Czech Republic tomorrow.

    Joe Clarke in actionGetty Images

    The 25-year-old from Stone won Britain's first ever gold in the kayak K1 event at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

    With the World Championships to come as well this year, it's all part of Clarke's preparations to defend that Olympic title in Japan in two years' time.

    Things are going great for me at the moment, training's going really well. Had a really positive selection, won the first two races, was crowned UK champion for the fourth time and just loving it at the moment, everything just seems to be going in the right direction."

    Joe Clarke, Olympic gold medallist

  12. Statue tribute to Led Zeppelin's John Bonham

    A statue of the Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham has been built in his home town on what would have been his 70th birthday.

    The bronze statue, in Redditch, featuring Bonham on drums, was commissioned by the John Bonham Memorial Fund.

    John Bonham statue
    John Bonham statue

    Plans were submitted last year to commemorate the life of Bonham, who died in 1980 and it now sits in Mercian Square, opposite the library.

    Two years ago Rolling Stone magazine voted Bonham the greatest drummer of all time, featuring on tracks such as Moby Dick, Good Times Bad Times, Immigrant Song and Whole Lotta Love.

  14. Couple set up Stone Age classes

    Emma Thomas
    Reporter, BBC Midlands Today

    A couple have set up a business on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border, that give visitors a chance to experience what it was like to survive in the Stone Age.

    Daniel Westall and his partner Naomi Walmsley teach people how to live without modern equipment at their Outback2basics centre at Blymhill Common.

    Stone Age workshop
    Stone Age workshop

    They think all children should be able to light a fire safely by the age of 10, as well as having the skills to build shelters, and know at least 10 different uses for a stick.

    If you've got any thoughts, we'd love to hear them.

    After eating ants and learning new skills, the children visiting the camp had different views on whether they'd like to go back to the Stone Age - some, perhaps inevitably, preferred the comfort of modern-day life.

    It doesn't matter whether they're fire-lighting or whether they're just sitting by a tree and listening. I think it's just really important for them to connect to the natural environment and [to realise] that they don't need Xboxes. They can just go outside... and have a lot of fun."

    Naomi Walmsley

  15. New Stoke City boss keen to build squad for promotion

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke City's new manager Gary Rowett says he's encouraged after certain players have indicated they want to stay at the club.

    Gary Rowett in Stoke City scarfStoke City FC

    The Potters are expecting offers for a number of their players with Jack Butland, Xherdan Shaqiri and Joe Allen all attracting gossip.

    But Rowett says he'll look at all of his options, as he looks to build a squad capable of getting straight back to the Premier League after their relegation last season.

    There's certainly a lot of good footballers here, there's a lot of good people here, a lot of good characters here so my job of course will be to make sure that the ones that do stay and the ones that join share the same ethos as the club and the same values."

    Gary Rowett, Stoke City manager

  16. Rail firm compares poor service to Poundland chocolate

    BBC News England

    A rail firm that compared its poor service to chocolate from Poundland has been threatened with legal action by the discount chain.

    Thameslink has apologised after making the comment in reply to a passenger who was angry over train cancellations.

    Thameslink trainPA

    In response, the Willenhall-based retailer's director Austin Cooke said it had "no right to use our name to describe poor service".

    "But if we ever fall short, perhaps we'll describe ourselves as a bit ThamesLink," he added.

    It comes after more than 450 Govia Thameslink Railway trains were either cancelled or ran late on Wednesday.

    Thameslink apologised and removed the original tweet.

  17. Worst crash 'in over 20 years' on BBC One's Ambulance

    BBC One

    The way West Midlands Ambulance staff responded to a huge crash that killed six people in Birmingham will be featured on BBC One tonight.

    An Audi ploughed sideways into a taxi coming the other way on Belgrave Middleway in December.

    The scene of the crashGetty Images

    Camera crews were following paramedics for the programme Ambulance when the fatal collision happened.

    They describe it as "the worst crash they have seen in over 20 years".

    Ambulance is on BBC One from 21:00 tonight.

  18. Great esssscape for trapped snake

    A grass snake which became trapped in mesh fencing has been cut free by an RSPCA inspector.

    It was found in a distressed state on land at Marden in Herefordshire on Bank Holiday Monday, but was able to slither away unharmed after it was released.

    Snake in meshRSPCA

    The animal charity said snakes like this one have been on the move recently, looking for cool, dry places to hide and encouraged people to put away sports nets, saying "it could save an animal from suffering a horrible death".

  20. Changes backed after homeless man's death

    Councillors in Worcester have backed new measures to tackle homelessness after the death of an elderly rough sleeper.

    Cardon Banfield, 74, was found dead in a tent near the river in June 2016 and it prompted a campaign for better awareness and services for homeless people.

    New RoadGoogle

    Worcester City Council commissioned an independent report, which suggested a range of recommendations including improved record keeping and offering staff who work with rough sleepers more training.

    Councillors voted last night to implement the measures and said the priority was to make sure the different agencies supporting homeless people work closer together.