James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

The Wrexham manager Sam Ricketts (below left) and Newport manager Michael Flynn (below right) have emerged as possible contenders for the Shrewsbury Town job.

Flynn kept Newport County in the League in 2017 after being given temporary charge and his club are currently in the League Two play-off places.

The former Wolves and Welsh international defender Sam Ricketts started his career at Telford.

Image source, Getty Images

The former Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer (below left) is thought to be out of the running though and while former manager Paul Hurst (below right) remains a possibility, we believe a return to the Montgomery Waters Meadow is unlikely.

Image source, Getty Images

Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent

Police and fire investigators are at the scene of a suspicious Rugby house fire, which has left a five-year-old boy with critical burn injuries.

The fire, at the house on Wentworth Road, appears to have started at the rear of the property, and swept through the house.

Three children have been taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital, and are being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

The woman, 28, is believed to be the children's mother, and her injuries are described as serious.

Neighbour, Gemma Osborne, said the woman was frantically calling for help to save her children.

There will be an increased police presence in the area over the next few days as officers investigate the fire and to provide reassurance to the community, said Warwickshire Police.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A number of health commissioners in Telford have complained about feeling rushed towards a decision in the future of Shropshire's hospitals - a process which first started in 2013.

The plans, which favour having the county's only emergency centre in Shrewsbury, are due to have a full business case drawn up next year.

Dr Adam Pringle, a member of the Telford Clinical Commissioning Group, said the current timeline "is far too short for me to receive something, digest it, consult with other people and then come back and make a properly informed decision".

His colleague Neil Maybury added: "I personally don’t want to be on a public platform and be subject to the kind of haranguing that we had last time without preparation."

Moves to reorganise services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, under the Future Fit project, started five years ago and have cost millions of pounds to draw up.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a serious assault in Worcester.

Police say they found an injured man, who is in his 20s, at a house on Avon Road in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Image source, Google

He was then taken to hospital, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

A fire in which a woman and three children were seriously injured is being treated as suspicious, police say.

The four were taken to hospital with one five-year-old boy suffering "critical" burn injuries after emergency services were called to the Wentworth Road fire at about 02:48.

The other two children, an eight-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, are being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and burns.

The woman, 28, is being treated for burns in hospital.

Police are asking for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area at the time to come foward.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are three headlines from the Stoke-on-Trent Live website today:

• Police officer guilty of raping and sexually assaulting girl, external
• Grieving student claims school told him to 'man up', external
• Major project put forward for 'deconstructed hotel', external

BBC Business News

Paul May, the chief executive of Patisserie Holdings, has resigned with immediate effect.

At the same time, the Patisserie Valerie owner has announced the appointment of a new chief executive - Stephen Francis, who has experience in turning around large businesses.

Image source, Getty Images

In October, Luke Johnson, chairman of the Birmingham-based cafe chain, was forced to provide £20m in loans to save it from collapsing

He said: "I am delighted to welcome Steve Francis as new CEO at Patisserie Holdings PLC.

"He has a strong track record of restoring value in turnaround situations, especially in the food industry, and the board looks forward to working with him in the revival of the business."

Children in Need

The BBC Children in Need rickshaw challenge seems to be making good progress today and has already passed through Telford and is on its way through north Shropshire.

The team left Ironbridge this morning and will pass through Wales before arriving at Chester Zoo later.

Image source, Paul and Jackie

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

Missed bin collections have doubled in Birmingham since controversial changes have been introduced, new figures reveal.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

The new approach, which was agreed between the city council and unions to resolve last year's strike, has been in operation since 24 September.

The rate of missed collections subsequently jumped from less than 80 per 100,000 properties to more than 160 after the changes.

At a meeting on Tuesday bins chief Councillor Majid Mahmood admitted there had been "difficulties" but vowed that the service would be back to normal within weeks.

The Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington has called this morning's resignation by Brexit minister, Dominic Raab "seismic".

Two cabinet members and other junior members have resigned in a backlash over the prime minister's proposed EU deal.

He tweeted that the country was now in the most "serious of crises".

Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon Nadhim Zahawi, said backing the plan was the "logical position" saying it would allow the country to leave the EU in an "orderly way".

A "committed paedophile" police officer was named as a suspect in three sex cases before he was appointed by Cheshire Police, it has been revealed.

The force said it was discovered in the recruitment process that there was an allegation Ian Naude, who is 30 and from Market Drayton, had raped a woman.

It said the recruitment process was put on hold, but resumed when no further action was taken.

Image source, Cheshire Police

Later when the police began to investigate Naude following his arrest, they found he had also been a named suspect in two child grooming allegations, reported to Staffordshire Police and West Mercia Police in January and February 2017.

But an investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct into the vetting process and employment of Naude found there was no case to answer for misconduct for any individual officer.

Naude was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl and a number of other sexual offences earlier today.

The brother of a 13-year-old boy who died in a Stoke-on-Trent lake will switch on the city's Christmas lights this evening.

Ryan Evans died after getting into difficulty at Westport Lake this summer.

Image source, Haywood Academy

Tonight, his brother Kieran will be on stage in Hanley and the light switch-on and firework finale will be between 18:30 and 19:00.

Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market, one of the UK's biggest, has officially opened.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Image source, Birmingham City Council

The Victoria Square and New Street market will open daily from 10:00 to 21:00 offering traditional goods and gifts as well as German food and drink.

The market has run for more than 15 years, attracting visitors from all over the country, the city council said.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Coventry Live

These are some of the headlining stories on the Coventry Live website today:

• Three children hurt, one critically, in house fire, external
• Wasps' accounts reveal uncertain future as losses double, external
• See the anti-bullying awareness video giving confidence to girls, external

A Cheshire Police officer has been told by a judge to "prepare for a very significant sentence indeed" after being found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl.

Ian Naude, who is 30 and from Market Drayton, was also found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court of four counts of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and one count of arranging the commission of a child sex offence in relation to five other complainants aged between 12 and 15.

Image source, Google

He had already admitted 30 other offences, including inciting children to engage in sexual activity, causing children to watch sexual acts and misconduct in a public office.

The case was adjourned to 13 December for a pre-sentence report.

Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn becomes the latest player to drop out of the Scotland squad to face Albania and Israel through injury.

Worcestershire's Moeen Ali took two wickets for England as they surrendered a 46-run first innings lead to Sri Lanka in the second test.

He dismissed Pushpakumara and Dananjaya.

Image source, Getty Images

Shropshire will get 40 of the 100 new police officers being introduced by West Mercia Police, the force has confirmed.

They will be shared across the Shropshire and Telford divisions, with the remaining 60 working in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Image source, West Mercia PCC

Earlier this week, one of the most senior officers in Shropshire was forced to respond to allegations that Shropshire sometimes has eight or fewer officers on duty overnight.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, John Campion, said the increase in officers would take total numbers over 2,000 again after recent cuts.

He said he didn't see any problems in having that many trainees learning the job at the same time.

The prime minister has suffered a number of ministerial resignations this morning, but she's got the backing of a number of her MPs in Worcestershire.

The Mid Worcesterdshire MP Nigel Huddleston said: "There's nobody that's standing out there as an obvious alternative, but also she's got a very difficult job and I can't imagine anybody else with the skills to do it."

Worcester's Conservative MP Robin Walker "I think she has huge support in the country at large and indeed across the Conservative party."

And the West Worcestershire's Harriett Baldwin added: "This is a deal that shows we are taking back control of our borders."

Shropshire Star

Here are a few of the stories making the headlines on the Shropshire Star website this morning:

• Two years and £10m to flatten Ironbridge Power Station - as thieves target site, external
• 'No guarantee' of extra staff for Shropshire hospital in special measures, external
• Thousands watch as Shrewsbury Christmas lights switched on, external