Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is happy with his defence after questions were asked following the 5-5 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Ice and frost is expected across large parts of the West Midlands tonight, with several councils saying they'll be out gritting roads.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

New measures preventing takeaways from opening in certain areas in Coventry have been drawn up.

Image source, Coventry City Council

The new guidance will help improve the health and well-being of residents, said the city council, and will be taken into consideration by its planning team when deciding on hot food outlet applications.

A consultation on the plans opened in August and September, with responses due to be outlined in a report to the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities on Monday, 10 December.

Changes to the guidelines could then be made and be presented for adoption at cabinet early in 2019.

Shropshire Star

A few of the headlines on the Shropshire Star website this lunchtime:

• Eating disorders: Telford mother's fight for an inquest into her daughter's death, external
• The inside story of Telford's iconic statue, external
• Telford spirit level attacker jailed for two years, external

BBC Politics

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has revealed that he was a victim of racist bullying at school.

The MP for Bromsgrove said he had been targeted and "punched to the ground" at the age of 11 because he was Asian.

He said he had been "reminded" of his ordeal by an attack on a 15-year old Syrian boy in West Yorkshire, footage of which emerged last week.

"Obviously I hated it and I thought how that young boy must feel," Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "Those memories flooded back for me."

Four boys are arrested after a 66-year-old is threatened with a knife and pushed into a canal.

A former police inspector who's admitted making indecent images of children "fuelled demand" for the content, the NSPCC charity has said.

Lee Bartram, 44, of Bustleholme Lane, West Bromwich, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children between 2011 and August 2018 at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The former West Midlands Police officer had previously admitted five further counts of making indecent images and two counts of distributing images, but has yet to plead to a charge of misconduct in public office.

The NSPCC said children were "exploited and abused every day for this vile material to be created".

The chairman of the HS2 rail programme, which will connect London to Birmingham through Warwickshire, has told the BBC he expects to be sacked in the coming days.

Image source, PA

Sir Terry Morgan, who only took up the role four months ago, has also been involved in London's Crossrail project for the past decade.

Asked why he thought he was being forced out, Sir Terry said: "I can only assume that because HS2 is such a critically important programme and with the sense of disappointment around the performance of Crossrail, that it was considered to be too risky for a programme like HS2 to continue in my role as chairman."

He said he had "mixed feelings" - including a "sense of responsibility or contribution to the position in terms of Crossrail".

Former UKIP deputy chair Suzanne Evans has announced she's quitting the party.

Ms Evans, from Shrewsbury, says, in a statement on Facebook, , externalthat she's become "increasingly alarmed" at the direction the party's taken.

Over the weekend, current UKIP leader Gerard Batten survived a vote of no confidence held by the party's National Executive Committee.

Mr Batten had been criticised by some in the party for appointing far-right activist and EDL leader Tommy Robinson as an adviser.

Ms Evans stood in the 2015 general election in the Shrewsbury and Atcham ward and was one of the architects of the party's manifesto in both 2015 and 2017.

She had been widely touted as a future leader of UKIP during Nigel Farage's tenure, but was suspended in 2016, preventing her running in the leadership race.

A man who died after being hit by a car , externalhas been identified by police.

Image source, Google

Staffordshire Police says Hayden Adams, from Codsall, was on the A41 Newport Road, Kingswood, near Wolverhampton, when the collision happened with a white Mercedes.

The force says the 53-year-old suffered serious injuries and died at the scene.

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

The judge at the sentencing hearing for the killer of midwife Samantha Eastwood has now retired to consider what prison term she will give Michael Stirling.

Stirling, 44, of Gratton Road, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to her murder in October.

The hearing at Stafford Crown Court is expected to resume at 14:30.

Worcester News

Here are a few of the stories making the headlines on the Worcester News website:

• Boy awaiting surgery for rare heart condition makes Christmas gesture, external
• Number of care leavers in Worcestershire without suitable accommodation when they turn 18 is, external
• Links are being forged with Malvern in Iowa, external

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Lawyers for Michael Stirling, who's admitted murdering midwife Samantha Eastwood, have told his sentencing hearing that he is "haunted by what he did".

In October, Stirling, 32, of Gratton Road, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Eastwood following a "long-standing" affair.

Today, he's set to be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court.

A food bank is blaming the roll-out of the universal credit benefit reform for a "huge increase" in the number of people using its service.

Image source, Getty Images

The system - which merges six benefits into one payment - has been beset with problems.

It's being slowly rolled out across the country and came to Market Drayton, Shropshire, in May this year. , external

The local food bank says it's seen demand for help surge in recent months.

Helen McSherry, from the local food bank, said demand "doubled" in 2017 and has risen again in 2018.

"In the last two or three months I can say it's increasing even now. And I can say it's probably due to universal credit rolling out in Market Drayton [in May]," she said.

The Department for Work and Pensions says universal credit is working and that people are moving into work faster and staying in work longer than under the old system.

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

At the murder sentencing hearing today at Stafford Crown Court, Samantha Eastwood's sister has read out a victim impact statement.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

She said that the day after Ms Eastwood went missing, Michael Stirling - who's admitted murdering her - hugged her and that will forever haunt her.

She added that he treated her sister like a piece of meat by taping her up and burying her.

Stirling, 32, of Gratton Road, Stoke-on-Trent, is due to be sentenced today after pleading guilty to the murder earlier this year.

A former police inspector has admitted making 140 indecent images of children.

Lee Bartram, formerly of West Midlands Police, who worked in Birmingham city centre, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier.

The 44-year-old, of Bustleholme Lane, West Bromwich, has yet to enter a plea to a charge of misconduct in public office.

The charges against him are in addition to five counts of making indecent images of a child and two counts of distributing similar images, he admitted in August.

The former officer, who has been sacked, will next appear for sentencing on 14 February 2019.

BBC News Travel

Oil and diesel is being cleared from the scene of a double decker bus fire in Warwickshire this morning.

The A429 remains closed between Charlecote Road to Watery Lane, close to Wellesbourne.

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

The prosecution is summing up at the sentencing of the man who admitted murdering midwife Samantha Eastwood earlier this year.

Image source, Samantha Eastwood

Michael Stirling, 32, of Gratton Road, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to the charge in October.

Ms Eastwood's body was found in a shallow grave in Caverswall, eight days after she went missing.

Stafford Crown Court's heard that, two days before she went missing, Stirling had researched suffocation and suicide online.

The prosecution also told the court that he also went to his mother and father's house for dinner with Samantha's body in his van.

Birmingham Live

These are some of the Birmingham Live headlining stories today:

• Council investigating claims that cladding could catch fire, external
• Former youth club in Weoley Castle gutted in major fire, external
• How jam-busting 'smart traffic lights' could be rolled out across city, external

Gold jewellery has been stolen from a house after five men in balaclavas broke in and threatened a man inside with a screwdriver., external

Image source, Google

Police say the burglary happened on London Road, Worcester, on Saturday evening.

As well as the family jewellery, officers say cash was also taken.