Midlands Live: Breaking news and local stories

Summary

Live updates from Monday 13 August to Sunday 19 August
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Live Reporting

Transport fears for hospitals shake-uppublished at 18:06 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
BBC Shropshire
Travel concerns have been raised about proposals to shake-up hospital services in Shropshire.
People across the county are currently being asked for their views on whether to base an upgraded Emergency Centre in Shrewsbury or Telford.
Image source, Google
Local health bosses have a preferred option that would see it, along with women and children's services, located in Shrewsbury.
But people in Market Drayton have told BBC Shropshire that would mean planned care being centred at Telford's Princess Royal.
They say that would leave people without cars with a two-and-half-hour journey on three different buses.
Quote Message
If you go to the doctors and he says I'd like you to see a consultant, you sit in your chair and go rigid and go 'nooo' because you know you're going to have this awful journey ahead of you."
Mavis Hards, Patient
Police officer bailed after admitting indecent child imagespublished at 17:59 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
A police inspector who admitted making indecent images and distributing over 300 images of children has been granted bail.
Lee Bartram, from West Bromwich, who worked for West Midlands Police before being suspended earlier this week appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court for a bail hearing after admitting the offences yesterday.
Image source, PA
Bartram pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent images of a child and two counts of distributing similar images.
The charges - spanning a period between August 2013 and August 2018 - relate to a total of 328 images, including some found on an iPad and an iPhone.
He’s next due to appear in court on 13 September.
Weather: A mild cloudy weekend aheadpublished at 17:48 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
John Hammond
Weather forecaster
A mild start tomorrow and we should see a fair bit of cloud lingering with temperatures around 23C (73F).
It's likely to stay the same way on Sunday too. Here's a full forecast.
Media caption,
Latest weather forecast for the West Midlands
Young people get water rescue trainingpublished at 17:35 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Lucie Plant
BBC Hereford and Worcester
A group of young people in Droitwich Spa are among the first to pass a water safety course run by the Royal Life Saving Society.
The recent heatwave has seen reports of hundreds of people swimming in former quarries and rivers in the Midlands, prompting emergency services to warn of the dangers of cold water shock.
Media caption,
Water rescue training 'should be mandatory'
'They will be destroying it' - criticism over road planpublished at 17:25 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Julia Leonard
Breakfast producer, BBC Hereford & Worcester
People in Malvern have told BBC Hereford and Worcester that it'll be a travesty if access is granted over public land to a site earmarked for development.
Time is nearly up for people in the town to have a say on plans being considered by the Malvern Hills Trust to allow access over its land to a privately owned field.
Image source, Google
Developer The Rose Farm Partnership has applied for an "easement" or the right to build an access road across the common from Chance Lane to Hall Green Close near Guarlford.
Critics claim giving permission would be abandoning the duty the trust has to local people.
In response, the trust says it's been working to get more information so its board can make a decision including some limitations on how the site might be developed to minimise impact on the land., external
Quote Message
In this situation they will not be conserving their assets, they will be fundamentally changing it, they will be destroying it, they'll be putting a road across it. The trust should stick to its original purpose which is to conserve their assets, not to destroy them."
Patrick Harris, Neighbour
In the papers: Music group cancels town performancepublished at 17:15 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Shropshire Live
These are some of the big stories today on the Shropshire Live website:
Mosques attacks 'could be random vandalism'published at 17:00 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Allen Cook
BBC News
Damage to two mosques in Birmingham by steel balls fired from catapults could be random acts of vandalism, police say.
Masjid Qamarul Islam, Birmingham, was hit on Wednesday and Al-Hijrah mosque half-a-mile away was damaged 20 minutes later.
West Midlands Police had said the attacks were being treated as hate crimes, but today says it's had three more reports of damage from a catapult and pellet gun. , external
At around the same time as the two mosques in Small Heath were hit, officers say a house and parked car on Bankes Road and a home on Hob Moor Road had windows hit by steel balls.
The force says it's found no links between those attacks and the mosques which makes them believe there "may not be a racial motive".
Chuckle Brothers young mega fan: 'Everybody loves them'published at 16:50 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
The funeral of Barry Chuckle, one half of the comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers has taken place today in Rotherham.
Many fans of the Chuckle Brothers gathered outside the home of Rotherham United, were the pair were honorary life presidents.
A young 10-year-old "mega fan" travelled all the way from Birmingham to pay his respects.
Image source, Getty Images
Quote Message
I first went to see them at the pantomime in Wolverhampton around two years ago and I just became a mega fan of them. I just love their episodes and every morning I'm watching their episodes of Chucklevision, and it has never gotten old. Everybody loves them. They've got a really good comedy, they're funny and they just made people laugh."
Alfie, Chuckle brothers fan
Image source, PA
The 73-year-old's brother, Paul, the other half of the comedy duo, helped carry the coffin into the New York Stadium earlier.
You can read more about the funeral and the tributes paid to him on BBC News.
Long queues after lorry and car crash on M5published at 16:40 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
BBC News Travel
There are long delays on the M5 near Bromsgrove this afternoon after a crash involving a car and a lorry.
Highways England says it happened between J5 and J4a on the northbound side, external and the vehicles have been moved off the carriageway.
But it says there are four-mile queues in the area., external
Image source, Highways England
Conspiracy to murder arrest over 2015 car crashpublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
A man's been arrested for conspiracy to murder , externalafter a man suffered life-threatening injuries three years ago when he was hit by a car.
Image source, Google
The victim was struck by the vehicle on Shobnall Street, Burton-on-Trent, in July 2015.
This afternoon, Staffordshire Police said officers had arrested a 39-year-old man from the West Midlands area.
Lights, sounds and hundreds of trees at cathedral eventpublished at 16:23 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Allen Cook
BBC News
A new exhibition featuring hundreds of trees and light and sound installations opens at Lichfield Cathedral tonight.
Image source, Lichfield Cathedral
It's called The Great Exhibition: Imagine Peace, external and the cathedral says it starts with a Peace Woodland of 1,918 trees in its grounds, to reference the end of World War One.
There are then light and sound installations inside the cathedral which organisers say will recreate the Sistine Chapel, 1960s "flower power" and 16 million falling leaves.
They say that, after the exhibition finishes on 27 August, the trees will be planted in Beacon Park to form a new woodland.
Man denies murdering neighbourpublished at 16:13 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
A man has pleaded not guilty of murdering his 28-year-old neighbour at a pre-trial hearing at Birmingham Crown Court today.
John Nixon, 54, is accused of fatally stabbing Reece Hipwood in Sandmere Road, Yardley Wood, Birmingham after an argument in the early hours of 15 July.
Image source, Family handout
Mr Nixon has been remanded in custody until his trial, which has been set for 7 January.
Escaped wallaby 'making her way back home'published at 16:01 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Allen Cook
BBC News
A wallaby who escaped from a zoo now looks to be heading back to the site, the zoo says.
Image source, AFP/Getty Images
The animal, called Holly, got out on Tuesday after clearing a perimeter fence.
This afternoon, Wild Zoological Park in Bobbington, Staffordshire, told the BBC they had sight of her this morning and it "looks like she's making her way back to the zoo!".
Fatal hit-and-run crash suspect releasedpublished at 15:52 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
A man who was arrested by police investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash in Warwickshire has been released while inquiries continue., external
A man in his 50s was hit by an HGV in Shipston-on-Stour at 04:45 on Thursday, near Darlingscott crossroads.
A 24-year-old man from Wiltshire was arrested later that morning.
Police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.
Barcelona attack: Man who helped dying boy to meet familypublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Bob Hockenhull
BBC Midlands Today
A year ago today, Harry Athwal from Birmingham was on the front page of newspapers around the world when he was caught up in a terrorist attack in Barcelona.
Harry was pictured cradling a dying seven-year-old boy called Julian Cadman who was one of 14 people killed when a lorry driver deliberately ploughed into pedestrians.
Harry has formed a strong bond with the victim's family, who live in Australia, and plans to meet Julian's grandparents when they visit the UK later this month.
Quote Message
I don't think a day goes by when you don't think what happened to Julian. I suppose for peace of mind, they want to meet and I'd like to meet. We share a tragic circumstance and a lot of emotion together. I am looking forward to seeing them."
Harry Athwal
Image source, PA
No action over climate change councillorpublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
No action will be taken against a senior Warwickshire politician who took to social media to deny the existence of man-made climate change.
Opposition councillors raised concerns that Warwickshire County Council deputy leader Peter Butlin could be influencing local environment policy.
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Mr Butlin refused to be interviewed by the BBC.
Quote Message
I don't concur with his views, it has not been an issue that has had any conflicting situation at this time. It's perhaps not the way I would behave, but I don't see it conflicts with his position. I will not be requiring anything of him, other than that he might perhaps consider the way he presents himself."
Izzi Seccombe, Conservative leader Warwickshire County Council
In the papers: 'I can never forgive him'published at 15:08 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Express and Star
Here's a selection of some of the stories to feature online this Friday:
- 'I can never forgive him, I hate him': Father speaks out after Jasmine Forrester murder trial, external
- Black Country motorists face Bank Holiday misery as roadworks continue, external
- Express & Star victory in deadly knives campaign, external
Roaches moorland blaze set to burn 'for couple more days'published at 14:48 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Ros Chimes
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
Firefighters say they don't expect to put out a huge fire at a nature reserve until at least this weekend. , external
Crews have been at the scene, which spreads across 200 acres of moorland, in The Roaches, in Upper Hulme, Staffordshire, since 9 August.
Media caption,
Moorlands fire 'catastrophic for wildlife'.
Today, the fire service says it expects crews to remain there "for the next couple of days" to finally put the blaze out.
It has also revealed a camp fire was the cause of the blaze, after it got out of control.
Your photos: From the river to a castlepublished at 14:28 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
BBC Weather Watchers
It's a cloudy day for much of the West Midlands but we're still getting our usual marvellous range of photos from our BBC Weather Watchers.
User CourierAnt sent this from Shrewsbury, down by the river:
Image source, CourierAnt
While Warwick Castle's been snapped by weather watcher Kingfisher Whisperer:
Image source, Kingfisher Whisperer
Athletics: Diamond League meet in Birmingham this weekendpublished at 14:09 British Summer Time 17 August 2018
Some of the world's best athletes will be in Birmingham tomorrow for the prestigious Diamond League event. , external
The meet is taking place at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr.
It'll be an opportunity to see rising stars including sprinter Dina Asher-Smith who stormed the European Championships last week, as well as 1500m runner Laura Muir and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
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It will be the last ever event for former Olympic champion long jumper Greg Rutherford, who is retiring due to injuries.
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And if you can't make it down there fear not, you can watch full coverage on BBC One this Saturday from 13:15.