Summary

  • Live updates from Monday 10 September to Sunday 16 September

  • Click on related stories for updates from your area

Live Reporting

  1. Fears cull will drive sick badgers into other areas

    Faith Page
    Reporter, BBC Shropshire

    There are fears sick badgers could be driven into Shropshire with the county not included on the latest list of areas for badger culling.

    BadgerScience Photo Library

    The government's announced 11 new areas in England and they say the action aims to battle the spread of bovine TB.

    It means culling can take place in Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire - counties that all border Shropshire.

    Farming minister George Eustice says culls are reducing cases of the disease.

    We've obviously been classed as being a low-risk area so we haven't got the culling taking place here, but, because it's all around us, my take would be that, inevitably, sick badgers will be driven into Shropshire."

    John Hughes, Shropshire Wildlife Trust

  2. Burton bring in goalkeeper Evtimov

    League One Burton Albion sign former Nottingham Forest and Mansfield goalkeeper Dimitar Evtimov on a one-month deal.

    Read More

  4. University to host British Science Festival

    The British Science Festival will be held in Coventry next year for the first time in its history, it's been announced.

    Science FestivalUniversity of Warwick

    In collaboration with the British Science Association, the University of Warwick will host the event from 10 to 13 September next year, in the run up to Coventry hosting the UK City of Culture in 2021.

    The festival will feature a programme of talks, debates, performances and activities on campus followed by a one-day family festival in conjunction with partners, said the university.

  5. Disabled lady conned out of £9,000 for 'non-existent work'

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    A man's been given a suspended prison sentence after a council says he conned residents out of money for non-existent building and landscaping work.

    Staffordshire County Council says Darren Woodley agreed to build a conservatory and landscape a garden for a couple in Tamworth.

    Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court

    They say one of the pair, a disabled 56-year-old woman, paid him £9,000 but, after he initially started the work, he left and then declared he was bankrupt.

    The 49-year-old, of Meadow Lane, Newhall, Swadlincote, had previously pleaded guilty to two fraud offences at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

    He's now been given a nine-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to repay the total amount to his victims.

  6. Girl and woman hurt in shooting

    The pair are believed to be victims of a "targeted attack", police say.

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  7. 16-year-old boy denies murder of man

    Derek Whyteside, 42, died after being assaulted in Telford on 18 June.

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  9. Your photos: Colours of sunrise

    BBC Weather Watchers

    If you were up early this morning in the West Midlands, it looks like there were some cracking conditions for great sunrise photos around.

    At least, so we see from our local BBC Weather Watchers - these two are from users DaveA in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire and Sunny Yan in Spetchley, Worcestershire:

    Royal Leamington SpaDaveA
    SpetchleySunny Yan

  10. 'Tipping point' fears for hospitals over shortage of beds

    James Pearson
    Political reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Worcestershire's hospitals need the equivalent of more than 230 extra beds if they're to cope with the pressures of the coming winter, NHS bosses are warning.

    Ambulances outside the Worcestershire Royal's A&EGoogle

    Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said it had carried out modelling to try and ensure its emergency departments don't reach a "tipping point".

    While new wards, featuring scores of beds, are already under construction, hospital bosses at their latest board meeting predicted even their current plans put them 60-95 beds short.

    But they say they have proposals under way to meet demand.

    We've done some modelling across our trust of what we think the gap is between our physical capacity and what we think the demand will be. The number you're quoting is before we've applied any of the mitigations or plans that we already have in place."

    Michelle McKay, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive

  11. Bombed offices to become £21m hotel

    Local Democracy Reporting Service
    Carl Jackson

    Birmingham offices that which survived bombings during World War Two and then later by the IRA, are now to be converted into a £21m four-star hotel.

    Proposed developmentTurley

    Louisa Ryland House at Newhall Street will feature 182 rooms, a restaurant, cafe, bar lounge, gym and faith room as well as create 132 permanent jobs.

    Birmingham City Council’s planning committee approved the latest plans on Thursday.

    Originally a group of three buildings, they have lain empty since 2012 having last been occupied by Birmingham City Council.

  13. Video: Want to see Mark Wahlberg talk Wolves?

    Mark Wahlberg has a hard time with his Premier League pronunciations, predicting the scores for Wolves, among others, for Football Focus.

    Mark Wahlberg: Actor predicts Premier League scores for Leicester Square, Waterford

  14. Teen set for murder trial over Telford death
    Breaking

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    A 16-year-old boy is to go on trial later this year charged with the murder of a man in Telford.

    Derek WhytesideFamily handout

    Derek Whyteside (pictured), 42, of Chesterfield Road in Dawley, died after being assaulted in Withywood Drive in Malinslee on 18 June.

    The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to murder at Stafford Crown Court today and was remanded into custody.

    Two men, William Owens, 41, and Gareth Edward Owens, 39, both of Boulton Grange in Randlay, also appeared at the court today.

    They both pleaded not guilty to affray and were given bail ahead of the trial, due to start on 5 November.

  15. New temporary team for Hereford FC after Beadle sacking

    Trevor Owens
    Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Hereford FC's new interim management team take charge of their first match tomorrow after the sacking of boss Peter Beadle.

    Hereford FC bannerGetty Images

    The move was their first managerial change since being founded in 2014 and chairman Ken Kinnersley said the decision to dismiss the 46-year-old had been taken with a "heavy heart".

    Beadle had taken Hereford to league titles in all three of his full seasons in charge and the Bulls are currently 12th in National League North, English football's sixth tier.

    The team take on Ashton United at Edgar Street tomorrow and will have Ryan Green as player-manager alongside Gareth Davies as head of football.

  16. Badger cull: Bovine TB killing 33,000 cattle a year

    The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has said the current policy of culling badgers was "based on the best available science and evidence", but added "no one has ever said culling alone will eradicate bovine TB".

    Yesterday, the government announced culls in Staffordshire, Herefordshire and Cheshire among 11 areas of the country in all.

    Cows

    The NFU said a cull was only one part of a wider strategy aimed at tackling the "devastating disease", which it said led to more than 33,000 cattle being "unnecessarily slaughtered in England last year".

    We will only get rid of this disease by using every available option, including cattle testing, cattle movement controls, vaccination when available and where appropriate, and on-farm biosecurity."

    NFU statement

  17. Dozens prepare for Coracle World Championships

    Faith Page
    Reporter, BBC Shropshire

    Nearly 50 teams will take part in the Coracle World Championships in Shropshire today.

    Coracles being racedCoracle World Championships

    The event gets under way from 14:30 on the River Severn in Shrewsbury and raises money for Macmillan Cancer support.

    Coracles are small, round-shaped, lightweight boats which were designed, hundreds of years ago, to be carried on a person's back, often with a chest strap holding the boat steady.

    Thought to predate the Roman invasion, they have been dubbed Britain’s strangest boat.

  19. Two taken to hospital with gunshot wounds

    Two people have been taken to hospital with gunshot wounds in what police are treating as a "targeted" attack in Sheldon, Birmingham.

    Scene of shootingSnapperSK

    The incident happened about 21:40 on Frodesley Road last night.

    A woman, 36, and a 15-year-old girl are in hospital with minor injuries, said West Midlands Police.

  20. 'A thousand' prison officers take part in protests

    About 1,000 officers took part in protests outside jails in the West Midlands, highlighting safety concerns, according to the Prison Officers' Association.

    Birmingham prison officers@SnapperSK

    About 200 officers at HMP Birmingham returned to work at about 10:30, after walking out at 07:00, said the POA.

    Protests also took part outside HMP Oakwood and HMP Brinsford in Staffordshire, near Wolverhampton, as well as HMP Hewell in Worcestershire.

    POA General Secretary, Steve Gillan said the protests had taken place "to bring attention, under health and safety legislation, to the government, to the general public, about conditions in our prisons for both prisoners and my members, of the rise in violence, the rise in drugs, the self-harm and everything that goes with it".