Allen Cook
BBC News

A man's been jailed for four years for starting a fire at an Amazon warehouse which police say caused £8m of damage.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Adris Ali lit a stack of papers with a cigarette lighter at the site in Rugeley, Staffordshire, in November, after being refused time off, external, police say.

All staff at the distribution centre had to be evacuated after large flames quickly spread through the warehouse.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Ali, 22, Kent Road, Walsall, was tracked down through staff rotas as being in the aisle at the time the fire started.

He pleaded guilty at Stafford Crown Court to arson with intent or recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

A musician is one of 12 people from Birmingham and the Black Country to be presented with the British Empire Medal this week .

Trevor Workman, 75, has played the carillon at Bournville Junior School for the last 50 years.

He's one of the country's foremost exponents of the unusual instrument - which resembles a keyboard attached to a belltower.

All 12 are being recognised for their service to their communities.

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Cuts to bus passes, school crossings and grass cutting are being considered to save £35m in the next financial year., external

Staffordshire County Council says it faces "incredibly difficult decisions" to balance its books.

Among its proposals are:

• Increasing council tax by 2.95%
• Charging people over state pension age to use buses before 09:30
• Reviewing all school crossing patrols with a view to encouraging community-funded posts from September 2019
• Reducing number of times grass is cut in urban areas from five to two

The plans will next be discussed by the council's cabinet on 19 September.

Andrew Hewkin
Newsreader, BBC Shropshire

Two men are being hunted by police after allegedly threatening bank staff while armed with a crowbar and a hammer.

Image source, Google

Officers were called to Lloyds Bank, Wrekin Drive, Donnington, near Telford, Shropshire, this morning but haven't revealed if any money was taken. , external

A car was found on fire nearby and the force says it's thought to be connected to what happened.

Trevor Workman has played the carillon at Bournville Junior School for the last 50 years.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A man and a woman have been left with serious injuries after they were attacked in their home by two men armed with a baseball bat and a machete., external

Image source, Google

Police say the masked men went into the house on Remer Street, Crewe, Cheshire, on Friday night and demanded money.

They then assaulted the pair before fleeing with cash.

BBC News Travel

A points failure near New Street in Birmingham is causing delays and cancellation to services through the station.

Services to and from Lichfield have been replaced by a bus service.

Services from Walsall toward Wolverhamption through Birmingham will not call at Parry Barr, Witton, Aston or Duddeston said West Midlands Railway.

A bus driver pressed the wrong pedal during the crash in Coventry which left two dead, a jury hears.

Park Street in central Birmingham will be closed to traffic from 21:00 to allow the demolition of a former pub.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Diversions for all traffic are likely to be in place until Friday for works on the former Fox and Grapes pub, said the city council.

The demolition is being carried out as part of works on the new HS2 station at Curzon Street.

Police are appealing for the public's help to trace a 16-year-old girl who has not been seen for three days.

Image source, Police handout

Jemma Hill was last seen at about 17:00 on ­­­­Saturday wearing a burgundy jumper, black body warmer, blue skinny jeans and black trainers.

She is from Solihull but was last seen in Huyton, Merseyside.

She is described as about 5ft 7in, slim, with black shoulder length wavy hair and has a Solihull accent.

She also has links to Manchester, Welshpool, Shrewsbury and Warwickshire.

BBC News Travel

Train services through Crewe are being disrupted this afternoon due to a broken-down train.

National Rail Enquiries says they expect delays and cancellations until around 16:15., external

The CEO of Jaguar Land Rover has warned that if the government doesn’t get “the right Brexit”, then his company would be forced to consider moving jobs and production to another part of Europe.

Dr Ralf Speth said tens of thousands of jobs are at risk if Britain doesn’t get the right deal.

Unfettered access to the EU's single market is vital for his business, he said.

Speaking at the Zero Emission Vehicle Summit in Birmingham he said he estimates that a poor deal would cost Jaguar Land Rover £1.2bn

“Any friction at the border puts business at jeopardy”, he said.

He argued that if poor UK productivity is worsened after Brexit he will be forced to move manufacturing to somewhere like Poland where it is cheaper to make cars.

JLR has bases at Whitley in Coventry, Solihull, Gaydon, Castle Bromwich and Halewood, amongst others.

Phil Bowers
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

A nine-year-old girl who suffered potentially life-threatening injuries , externalafter being hit by a car will remain in hospital for the 'foreseeable future', say police

The crash happened on Lower Milehouse Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme, on Sunday afternoon.

The force says the youngster, who's from the area, is in a stable condition at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool.

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City manager Gary Rowett says the job is much tougher than he thought it would be.

Image source, Reuters

The Potters were relegated from the Premier League last term and Rowett was appointed manager in the summer.

Since they started in the Championship, Stoke have won just one of their opening league games.

Faith Page
Reporter, BBC Shropshire

A man's had his van stolen at knifepoint,, external police say.

The victim was standing outside his Volkswagon Transporter on a layby on the A458 in Cressage, near Shrewsbury, on Saturday.

Image source, Google

Two men threatened him with what's thought to be a knife and drove off in the vehicle, after the man refused to hand his wallet over, police say.

The Volkswagon was later found abandoned.

Hereford Times

The Hereford Times is covering these stories today:

• Slight increase in net migration to Herefordshire since Brexit, external
• Teenager hospitalised after car overturns, external
• Oldest ploughman in the country joins anniversary celebrations, external

Two men and a boy are accused of being members of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action.

The driver of a bus, which was involved in a fatal crash in Coventry, has been declared medically unit to stand trial.

The charges against Kailash Chander relate to a crash in Trinity Street, Coventry, in October 2015 which resulted in the death of seven-year-old Rowan Fitzgerald, a passenger on the bus, and pedestrian Dora Hancox.

Chander has been excused from attending a "finding-of-facts" trial which started today.

He will not give evidence during the trial, which will see the panel at Birmingham Crown Court asked to consider whether or not the facts alleged have been proved.

Bus operator, Midland Red (South) Ltd admitted failings following the crash.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's a day of grey skies for the West Midlands from the look of the photos from our BBC Weather Watchers.

These two are from users Peter Steggles in Longnor, Shropshire and J at Severn Ridge at Severn Stoke, Worcestershire:

Image source, Peter Steggles

Image source, J at Severn Ridge

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

New signs and road markings have been put up in Coventry city centre, warning drivers not to use the bus gate at the Whittle Arches in Coventry.

The changes have been made to allow taxi drivers to use the gates at all times, as part of an 18-month trial, said the city council.

Fines worth £1.3m have been handed out at the bus gate so far this year, with someone being fined every 15 minutes last month.

Andrew Walster, the council's director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services denied the changes have been made after after pressure from road campaigners, external who said the old warning signs were not clear.