BBC WM

West Midlands Police says it is dealing with more and more cases of modern slavery.

The force says cases of people being trafficked or forced into labour, criminality and sexual exploitation are up 135% in a year - from 140 in 2016 to 330 in 2017.

Image source, Home Office

Liisa Wiseman from the Birmingham-based Adavu Project, which offers long-term care to survivors of modern slavery, said: "They are bound by debt and frightened and terrified.

"They don't know what city or country they are in and don't speak the language.

"They don't have documents on them, and they believe they will be jailed or beaten if they escape."

BBC Radio Stoke

New rules come into force today to try and stop motorists taking illegal short cuts in Stafford town centre.

Drivers will face an automatic fine of £60 if they drive down South Walls because of a new permanent enforcement camera.

Image source, Google

Staffordshire County Council says for too long drivers have been ignoring signs and creating unnecessary traffic.

The council says it's also improving signage to show that only bicycles, buses and "Hackney cab" taxis can drive there.

A two-week investigation at a Sutton Coldfield house by police has not uncovered a body.

League One strugglers Shrewsbury Town sack manager John Askey after five months in charge.

A 64-year-old woman has died in a crash between two cars in Leek.

The collision happened near The Winking Man pub on the A53 at 17:00 on Saturday.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Image source, Google

Three other people were taken to hospital, where their condition is described as stable.

Staffordshire Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.

Convicted killer Robert Ewing subjected a boy and girl to three years of "sickening cruelty".

A convicted child killer has been branded "a monster" by a judge after being found guilty of abusing two young children in Hereford in the 1990s.

Robert Ewing, 64, was given a life sentence in 2015 and ordered to serve a minimum 32 years in jail for murder of 15-year-old schoolgirl Paige Chivers.

Last week, a jury at Preston Crown Court found him guilty of indecently assaulting a young boy in the Hereford area in the early 1990s and he's now been given an additional 14 years.

On Friday the judge at Preston Crown Court, Philip Parry said Ewing was "evil incarnate".

Officers investigating the theft of a bank card have released images of a man they'd like to speak to.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

The card was stolen on 3 October, and has since been used for a number of transactions in Stratford and Gloucestershire, said Warwickshire Police.

Projects across the West Midlands have been granted funds to help survivors of domestic abuse., external

The money will provide tailored support, including additional beds in refuges, access to education and employment opportunities.

Schemes in Warwickshire, Solihull and Staffordshire , externalwill all receive part of the government's £22m funding over the next two years.

Aston Villa's performance in their 3-0 win at Derby "certainly got the supporters' bums off their seats," says head coach Dean Smith.

More than 100 fly-tippers have been issued with maximum fines in Sandwell over the past 18 months.

Cameras have been placed in hot spots across the borough as the council battles to fight the illegal dumping of rubbish.

In some parts of the country, councils have been criticised for not using enough of the £400 fines, but Sandwell Council said it was taking a tough line.

An investigation into a huge fire at a trampoline park near Coventry has found it was started "accidentally".

Image source, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service

More than 70 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Red Kangaroo attraction, in School Lane, Exhall in October.

A statement from the company at the time of the fire said the building would require "compete replacement" and likely to remain closed for at least six months.

Image source, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service

Shropshire Star

Some of the main stories on the Shropshire Star website today are:

• £9m boost to fix Shropshire potholes
• Shrewsbury actor beats Spider-Man's Tom Holland to international award, external
• Elderly man injured in hit-and-run near Telford pub, external

Chanise Evans
BBC Online

Last year, almost £5m was donated to BBC Children in Need from across the West Midlands.

The money supports projects like the Story Treasures scheme, run by the New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire.

It's helping to boost literacy skills in children even before they've got to school.

BBC Radio Stoke

Stafford Borough Council bosses have apologised after hundreds of people went to the wrong location to pay their respects on Remembrance Day.

The authority advertised an open-air service at Stafford's Market Square at 10:15 as part of commemorations to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.

Image source, Google

But the open-air service was actually being staged in nearby Victoria Square at the borough war memorial. This ceremony attracted thousands of people.

The council has said sorry for the mix-up – and pledged to reply personally to anyone who has emailed them about the issue.

Reality Check

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner said a £1.8m government fund would help "end the serious violence that has blighted our communities in recent months and years".

West Midlands Police dealt with more than 2,000 knife crime incidents in the first six months of 2018, nine of which were fatal.

BBC's Reality Check has been looking at knife crime figures to try and find out if more teenagers are now carrying knives.

An arson investigation has been launched in Crewe after a sofa was pushed up against the side of a house and set alight.

The incident happened shortly after 14:00 on Saturday in West Avenue, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Image source, Google

Two fire engine crews attended and one person was treated at the scene by paramedics.

The incident has been passed to Cheshire Police.

From today, several new areas in Birmingham will have 20mph speed limits introduced.

Roads in Bournbrook and Selly Park, and parts of Edgbaston, Harborne, Selly Oak, Bournville, Cotteridge and Stirchley feature the new slower speed limit.

Birmingham City Council says lowering speeds to 20mph makes it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The scheme will mainly be on residential streets, and in some selected locations on main roads.

Worcester News

Some of the headlining stories on the Worcester News website today are:

• Chief constable admits to not enough officers for every crime, external
• Controversial housing plans could be back on the table, external
• City nightclub fate to be decided, external

Hospital patients in Redditch could soon be getting a lift from local fire crews, due to a new pilot project.

Hereford & Worcester Fire Service is teaming up with Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust to help ease pressure on beds at the Alexandra Hospital this winter.

However, while the Worcestershire Royal Hospital is expected to be short of beds this winter, the Alexandra Hospital actually has a surplus, a trust board meeting heard last week.

The trust says the partnership, external, which they're trying out for six months, will support safe early discharge of patients who may need additional help to settle them back home.

The fire service has agreed to provide the service for six months free of charge, which "will enable us to identify the exact requirements of such a service in the future", the trust said.