A man who dumped sofas, fridges, freezers and building waste at sites across Birmingham has been sentenced for fly-tipping offences.

Justin Williams dumped the rubbish at sites in South Yardley, Sheldon and Yardley, the city council said. The authority said he was caught on CCTV "by citizens concerned about the state of their neighbourhood".

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Image source, Birmingham City Council

At Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Monday, Williams, 40, of Church Road, Yardley, pleaded guilty to seven offences.

He was handed a 12-month community order and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work. He will also have to pay £500 towards the prosecution costs.

Madni Ahmed faces a charge of murdering Riasat Bi and a charge of attempting to murder a man, 18.

Water was seen gushing into the air after a damaged fire hydrant caused a water spout in Birmingham city centre yesterday.

No customers were affected by the leak, off Broad Street, said Severn Trent.

Warwick Road in part of Solihull is likely to be closed until at least midday, whilst officers carry out an investigation into a hit-and-run death.

The 46-year-old man was hit by a car that failed to stop as he walked along the pavement in the Olton area, just before 17:00 on Monday.

The road will remain closed between Old Warwick Road and Richmond Road, West Midlands Police said.

Det Insp Caroline Corfield said: "Closing the road in both directions is an extreme measure but a necessary one as we conduct fingertip searches and carry out other enquiries for vital clues".

Express and Star

Some of the headlining stories on the Express and Star website today are:

• Murder-accused father shook Kayden Walker 'in a panic', external
• New university centre to help tackle cyber crime, external
• Terrified families flee 'gang shooting' outside Wolverhampton pub, external

A new £5m market opens in Wolverhampton today.

Image source, Black Country LEP

The Cleveland Street market replaces the old site on Market Square, with 20 cabins and 48 stalls.

The council hopes it will provide increased footfall from the Wulfrun Centre and nearby transport interchange.

Severn Trent Water said its reservoirs were in a "healthy position", despite others around the country facing a hosepipe ban.

The water company, which serves more than 4.2 million homes and businesses in the Midlands, has faced issues with pumping enough water to meet demand since the dry weather started.

However, a spokesperson said they have no plans for a ban, but they are asking customers to remain "water wise".

Meanwhile South Staffs Water, which supplies more than a million customers in the Midlands, also said it had "no issues".

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

Today will have sunny spells with a few scattered showers and highs of 22C (72F)

Madni Ahmed, 20, is also charged with the attempted murder of an 18-year-old.

More complaints are made about an abattoir that was shut down in 2015.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

There's the small chance of showers this evening, but they should clear overnight with lows of 11C (52F).

A man has been charged with the murder of an 86-year-old grandmother in her Birmingham homne.

Madni Ahmed, 20, from Cavendish Street, Stoke-on-Trent, is accused of attacking Riasat Bi in Aubrey Road, Small Heath.

West Midlands Police say, external Ms Bi died from multiple stab wounds.

Mr Ahmed is also charged with attempted murder after an 18-year-old man was attacked at the same address and a third count of affray.

The 18-year-old remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Image source, Family handout

Mr Ahmed will appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Stephanie Barnard
BBC News

The issue of knife crime has been brought up in the Commons as an MP paid tribute to an 86-year-old grandmother who died after being stabbed.

Riasat Bi was found stabbed in Aubrey Road, Small Heath, last Thursday.

Image source, Family handout

Image source, Parliament

Home Secretary Sajid Javid acknowledged that there was complex issues around knife crime and will be working closely with West Midlands Police to see what more they can do to aid the force.

They also deny the manslaughter of fatally-stabbed Jaskaran Kang.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

In speedway, Wolverhampton have Kyle Howarth back from a dislocated shoulder for their clash with Premiership leaders Swindon tonight.

The 17-year-old has been charged with attempted murder and remanded at a youth detention facility .

Barry Frogatt, from Birmingham, says living in a hotel is "tearing" the family apart.

BBC WM

The NEC Group, which runs several of Birmingham’s entertainment venues, has reported a rise in earnings - now standing at £60m, for the year ending 31 May., external

The firm said it was a reflection of its plan to broaden the range of events across venues in the city, seeing a £12m increase on the previous 12 months.

Image source, NEC Group

According to the group, revenue is already coming in from the forthcoming Bear Grylls Adventure attraction and the recently opened Legoland Discovery Centre.

Emma Conway's image of her in a swimming costume was photoshopped by a stranger online.

West Brom sign Swansea defender Kyle Bartley for an undisclosed fee, with goalkeeper Jonathan Bond joining on a free transfer.