BBC Hereford and Worcester

Ten "big belly" bins which can only be opened using a handle or a foot pedal are being trialed in Worcester to try to reduce the number of seagulls in the city.

The city council's already used dummy eggs in a bid to reduce numbers, as well as netting on roofs to discourage the birds from landing.

The much bigger bins means street teams can focus more on litter picking as the bins should need to be emptied less, the council says.

If you want to see how these bins work, head to the BBC H&W Facebook page., external

BBC Shropshire

Academics at Harper Adams University in Shropshire are exploring ways to improve the yield of crops during hot dry summers like the one we're currently experiencing.

They're growing wheat in drought conditions and treating some of it with a pine resin product - as a form of "water proofing".

Some of the wheat has been irrigated, and some a mix of drought wheat and some sprayed (pictured).

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

A bid to open a new nightspot in Birmingham's Chinatown has been blocked.

Image source, Google

At a Birmingham City Council licensing sub committee meeting, external on Monday an application to open up the second floor of Kotwall House above Bambu was rejected.

One of the main issues centred around whether the new venue on Wrottesley Street would have been more of a restaurant or a nightclub.

The applicants said it would be a mix of the two with seating for more than 100 people with a waiting service but police said it was designed as a nightclub and they were concerned.

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce says they have not been offered enough for Tottenham Hotspur target Jack Grealish.

Post office staff have been threatened with a firearm and crowbar by three masked men, who demanded the key to the safe.

Image source, Google

The three made off with cash, including foreign currency, after the robbery at Binley Woods Post Office on Woodlands Road.

It's believed a silver saloon-type vehicle was involved in the incident, which happened on Saturday afternoon.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Hundreds of people from the West Midlands are heading for Belgium to honour those killed in World War One.

Image source, British Pathe

They are recreating the Great Pilgrimage of 1928 when families had the chance for people to visit the trenches where their loved ones had perished.

The anniversary of the Pilgrimage will be celebrated tomorrow.

A 13-year-old boy was hit by a car in Handsworth, Birmingham, yesterday.

The teenager sufffered a suspected head injury and serious leg injury after being hit at the junction of Benson Road and Willes Road, the ambulance service said.

Shrewsbury Town sign Lincoln City centre-back and captain Luke Waterfall for an undisclosed fee.

BBC News Travel

All lanes have now reopened on the northbound M6 at J3, in Warwickshire after a lorry was recovered after shifting it's load of paper.

Drivers are being warned of long delays in the area.

Coventry Live

Some of the headlining stories on the Coventry Live site today are:

• Gang member jailed for blasting teen with sawn-off shotgun, external
• Rugby Club's plan to build bars, cafes and homes, external
• The sinking road that's caused buses to be diverted, external

BBC News Travel

Traffic is being held at J3 of the M6 northbound, for recovery work on a broken down lorry.

There are severe delays in the area.

BBC Sport

Staffordshire's Adam Peaty, along with team mates Freya Anderson, James Guy and Georgia Davis, won gold at the European Swimming Championships.

They beat rivals to win the mixed 4x100m medley relay at the games in Glasgow.

Seventeen-year-old Anderson, from Ellesmere College, Shropshire, held off her male rivals as the team broke the European record.

Earlier in the competition Peaty, from Uttoxeter, broke his own 100m breaststroke world record to retain his European title.

The funeral will take place today of a campaigner who fought to have the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, to be made widely available on the NHS.

Lynne Burton, from Clayton, Staffordshire died last week at the age of 68.

She was part of the Women Fighting for Herceptin group which challenged the Government in 2005.

Work is set to begin on a major redevelopment of Hereford's Shell Store munitions factory.

The £7m project will transform the historic World War One building into a business centre.

It's being funded by Herefordshire Council, the European Regional Development Fund and a loan from The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.

Express and Star

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

• Wolves fans say no to possible move from Molineux, external
• Arrested man stole police car after lunging at officers with syringe, external
• Loyalty card plan in fight to help save Wolverhampton's Light House cinema, external

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City's Tom Ince says they will be working hard to put right what went wrong in their opening day defeat at Leeds.

Image source, PA

Lessons need to be learned from the 3-1 defeat at Elland Road, he said.

What could be the remains of a medieval road, created by the Knights Templar, has been discovered by scientists at Keele University.

The recent heatwave has exposed the long-hidden foundations on land near Keele village in Staffordshire and students have been using a drone to try and map out the parch marks and look for more historical features.

Image source, University of Keele

Image source, Keele University

Keele village was founded as a centre for the Knights Templar, external when the land was given to the order in the 1160s by King Henry II, the university said.

A Templar chapel is believed to be underneath a church in the village but the location of other buildings from the Templar age are still unknown.

The Knights Templar were known for their role in the Crusades and as one of the Middle Ages’ most powerful and wealthy religious orders.

The hot summer's been a boon for archaelogists as outlines of ancient structures have been revealed by patterns in the growth of grass and crops.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Kerry Ashdown

There are fears that plans to turn a narrow road in a town into a one-way street could stop hearses getting out of a main churchyard.

Image source, Google

Staffordshire County Council's proposing making the change on Church Street, Stone, in a bid to improve safety.

But, at the latest town council meeting, councillor Rob Kenney said if people were leaving the church and wanted to turn right "it is impossible in a Mini; let alone a hearse.”

The local authority called instead for the one-way system to cover part of Church Street, rather than the whole road.

BBC Midlands Today

Youth workers are going to be based in some A&E departments to help young people who've been attacked.

The youth violence intervention programme is being managed by the charity Redthread.

Specialist workers will be based at the Queen Elizabeth and Heartlands Hospitals in Birmingham.

They'll work with 11-24 year olds who've been involved in a serious assault.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

It will be a warm day with sunny spells and top temperatures of 27C (81F).