Summary

  • Live updates from Monday 13 August to Sunday 19 August

  • Click on related stories for updates from your area

Live Reporting

  1. Theme park 'may face charges' over death

    Sonia Kataria
    BBC News

    Drayton Manor Theme Park bosses could face a corporate manslaughter charge after 11-year-old Evha Jannath, from Leicester, fell out of a water ride during a school trip.

    Evha fell from the Splash Canyon at the theme park on 9 May last year.

    Evha JannathFamily Handout

    The Crown Prosecution Service said it received a file from Staffordshire Police last month.

    Prosecutors will now decide if any criminal charges are to be brought over Evha's death.

    Splash Canyon ride at Drayton ManorThemeParks.ie

    Evha's family said they had wanted "a quick resolution to all of the inquiries".

  2. Major works to disrupt hospital access

    A five-week road closure is expected to cause major disruption to people going to the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

    Repairs to the entrance from the A34 means it'll be closed for buses and cars from this morning.

    Bus diversion mapUniversity Hospitals of North Midlands

    Buses and cars will be unable to get past the Cancer centre and the West Building - with diversions to other parts of the site also in operation.

    Severe congestion to other parts of the site is also expected.

    Director of estate and facilities Loraine Whitehead said the "extensive" repairs were also "essential".

  3. M&S branches close doors

    Seven Marks and Spencer stores, including the Walsall branch, closed their doors for the last time on Saturday.

    Marks and SpencerPA

    The retailer implemented the latest round of its store closure programme as it battles to improve its fortunes.

    In all, M&S plans to close 100 shops by 2022, as announced in May. It says the turnaround is "vital" for its future.

    Profits at Marks & Spencer fell by almost two-thirds to £176.4m last year, following a costly business overhaul.

  4. Tributes and applause for dead midwife

    Flowers left at Royal Stoke University Hospital in memory of a dead midwife are due to be moved today.

    Tributes have been laid outside the maternity centre after the body of Samantha Eastwood was found in a shallow grave in Caverswall.

    flowersTracey Harrison/Twitter

    Michael Stirling, 32, of Gratton Road, Bucknall, has been charged with her murder.

    Candle-lit vigils took place across Stoke-on-Trent on Friday night.

    At the weekend, Stoke City fans also clapped during the 28th minute of their Championship game against Brentford - the number marking her age.

  5. Woman injured in 2014 boy's sea rescue finally coming home

    A woman who was left with a brain injury after trying to rescue a nine-year-old boy is returning home after friends raised £70,000 to pay for adaptions to her home.

    Deb DrewDeb Drew

    Mum-of-two Deb Drew, from Stourbridge, tried to pull a young swimmer out of the sea at Woolacombe Beach in August 2014 after he got into difficulty.

    Both had to be rescued by coastguards and 53-year-old Ms Drew spent six months in a coma.

  6. 'Drunk' driver arrested after going wrong way up M69

    A driver has been arrested after a car was driven on the wrong side of a motorway for 15 miles before eventually crashing into the embankment.

    CarLeicestershire Police

    It went up the M69 all the way from Coventry to Leicester, before crashing about a mile before the roundabout with the M1.

    It's thought the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.

  7. Two arrested after 'drunkenly' scaling Coventry Cathedral

    Two men who had to be rescued from the roof of Coventry Cathedral, have been arrested.

    Cathedral rescueWest Midlands Ambulance Service
    rescueWest Midlands Police

    Coventry police tweeted fire and ambulance crews helped return "two drunk people back to earth" after a "late night drunken climbing spree".

    The two were arrested for trespass, it said.

  8. Crews battle as grass fire spreads

    A large wildfire in the Staffordshire Moorlands has now engulfed more than 200 acres.

    FireStaffordshire Fire Service

    Crews were first called to the blaze at the Roaches, in Upper Hulme, Staffordshire, on Thursday afternoon, and they remain at the scene.

    FireStaffordshire Fire Service

    It was intensified by high winds which spread the flames across the north of the moor.

    Smoke from the fire was reported as far away as South Yorkshire.

    Staffordshire Fire Service said Roach Road and the surrounding lanes are likely to remain closed for the next few days.

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  9. Video: Your 50-second weather forecast

    Alex Hamilton
    BBC Weather

    It will be a mixed day with sunny spells and scattered showers, some of which could be heavy, and top temperatures of 22C (72F).

    Latest weather for the West Midlands

  10. Live updates for the West Midlands

    Vanessa Pearce
    BBC News

    Welcome to our live service for Thursday. 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 and Facebook.