BBC Midlands Today

Keyless technology is being blamed for a rise in car and van thefts across the West Midlands.

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said he'd been left with no choice but to name and shame car manufacturers after a jump in theft numbers.

Cars that use keyless technology, he said, were increasingly being targeted by organised gangs taking advantage of weaknesses in security.

Motorists with high-value cars are being warned to fit old-style "crook-locks" to prevent thefts.

Severn Trent and South Staffs Water are among eight companies set to be asked by Michael Gove today to explain why they have failed to meet leakage targets.

The environment secretary said customers expected a "reliable and resilient water supply".

On Sunday, a spokesman for Water UK, the trade body for the major water companies, told the BBC: "Tackling leakage is one of the water industry's top priorities.

Express and Star

Among the stories on the Express and Star website today are:

• Man dies after being hit by a train at station, external
• MP faces disciplinary action in Labour anti-Semitism row, external
• Two arrested after girl killed in Smethwick crash, external

Rail passengers travelling between Bromsgrove and Birmingham will have up to three additional trains per hour, from today, on the Cross City line.

Image source, Network Rail

Network Rail has invested £100m in installing new track, new signaling and upgraded power to allow the new electric train service to run.

It's part of a £1bn investment in the region.

A tombstone, which carries a riddle about a young woman murdered in Staffordshire in 1763, has been given listed status.

It's among hundreds of little-known memorials that have been nominated by the public to be recorded by Historic England.

The inscription on Sarah Smith’s gravestone, in the churchyard of St. Margaret's Church, Newcastle-under-Lyme, claims she was murdered by poisoning - and also includes the first and last letters of the names of the man her family believed was responsible.

The hunt for information about local monuments, street shrines and community tributes, external is part of a project looking at who is remembered and how - and who is missing and why.

Officers are continuing to investigate an incident in which a dog walker was sprayed in the face with bleach by robbers who also targeted his pet.

Image source, Google

The man, aged 34, was taken to hospital for injuries described as not life-changing.

Staffordshire Police said the robbery on Sunday morning, involving three hooded men, happened on Silver Link Road, Tamworth, at the junction of Collett.

The attackers stole a watch worth £50 and ran off.

Police are continuing their murder investigation into the death of a man who was found with serious injuries in the Lozells area of Birmingham.

Police said they were called to a house in Hunters Road in the early hours of Sunday. He died later in hospital.

Two men, both 43, have been arrested, one on suspicion of assault and the other on suspicion of wounding.

A woman has died after a car involved in a police pursuit crashed into another in Kingstanding, Birmingham.

Officers were following an Audi that was believed to be stolen when the crash happened just before 20:30 on Sunday.

Four people in the Audi were arrested and taken to hospital with their injuries.

A female passenger in the other car died shortly after, police said. The man driving was seriously injured.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

Early showers should clear leaving a bright day with some sunny spells and highs of 23C (73F).

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Monday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external