Live updates from Monday 3 December to Friday 7 December
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Allen Cook
BBC News
A road's been shut in Birmingham after a crash.
National Express West Midlands says it's happened on Lichfield Road, near to Aston's railway station., external
The bus firm says its services are being diverted as the road's been shut in both directions.
Allen Cook
BBC News
A man's been robbed by three masked men believed to be armed with a knife., external
Image source, GooglePolice say the victim was behind shops on Market Street, Bromsgrove, near the Kip McGrath Educational Centre, on Tuesday evening when the trio came up to him.
He was reportedly threatened with the knife and made to hand over cash.
Did you see the spectacular purple skies last night?
The BBC Weather Watchers have been sharing their photos of it from all over the West Midlands, and we've put together this collection.
People across the West Midlands captured photos of purple skies last night.
Allen Cook
BBC News
Parking machines and train tickets in parts of the West Midlands are being affected by huge disruption today to the O2 network.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe firm's suffered technical problems, with a spokesperson saying a software issue identified by a third-party supplier is to blame for the outage.
Shropshire Council says, as a result of O2's issues, parking machines in its car parks are not accepting card payments. , external
While West Midlands Railway says its ticket barrier staff will accept confirmation of bookings if people can't download their tickets., external
Allen Cook
BBC News
A football club says it still doesn't know the cost of damage caused to its stadium following "despicable disorder" in a local derby match.
Image source, Adam Boulton/PAStaffordshire Police had to use 150 officers when trouble broke out during the game between Port Vale and Stoke City Under-21s at Vale Park on Tuesday night.
Windows were smashed at the ground, seats torn up and parts thrown on the pitch, while the force says a toilet block was destroyed.
Port Vale says it's still assessing how much damage was caused and working with the police to identify more culprits after 11 men were initially arrested.
Quote MessageI'd forgotten there was a football match involved in this if I'm honest because it's just so sad we're talking about this type of behaviour, that the football became so secondary and now, what we've got to focus on is trying to put right what's gone wrong and try and identify these people."
Colin Garlick, Port Vale's chief executive
The father of a woman who died after overdosing on diet pills says he won't stop fighting to make sure the substance she took is harder to buy.
Image source, Family handoutBethany Shipsey, 21, from Worcester, died after taking tablets containing DNP in February 2017.
The substance is currently not illegal to buy and sell because it has legitimate industrial uses.
But her parents are campaigning to make it tougher to buy online and this week met with a Home Office minister to try and get their support.
Quote MessageWe're confident that, now that the Home Office has got hold of this, they can only do the right thing within human rights and make sure this heinous substance is taken out of circulation."
Doug Shipsey, Father
Police have charged an 18-year-old man in connection with a car-jacking in Sutton Coldfield.
The 18-year-old has been charged with robbery and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, said West Midlands Police. , external
The incident took place on Maney Hill Road on 16 August.
Ten different species of fish have been found by ecologists as part of a flood alleviation scheme, external in Birmingham.
Image source, Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency is removing coarse fish from a section of the River Tame, as part of a flood risk management scheme in Perry Barr and Witton.
Image source, Environment AgencyThe findings indicate good natural fish diversity, it said.
The scheme involves diverting a 120m (394ft) stretch of the river to enable the flood control structure to be constructed in the dry and is expected to last about nine months.
Men are caught on camera smashing windows and ripping apart sinks at Vale Park.
Read MoreOfficers are continuing to investigate a robbery after trophies, archery equipment and a generator were stolen from a club in Leamington Spa.
Image source, Warwickshire PoliceSilverware, some of which date back to the 18th Century, were stolen from Leamington Archery Club in Blackdown.
PC Scott McKeown from Warwickshire Police said: "Many of the items stolen were distinctive so we're asking people to keep an eye out for them at car boot sales and on the internet."
The robbery happened some time between the 25 and 26 November.
Men are caught on camera smashing windows and ripping apart sinks at Vale Park.
Read MoreRescuers say it'll take two days to reach a Worcestershire yachtswoman who is stranded in the Pacific Ocean after her boat was wrecked in a storm.
Image source, Getty ImagesSusie Goodall, from Bournheath, near Bromsgrove, external, is the youngest competitor in the non-stop solo round-the-world Golden Globe Race.
Her yacht's without a mast after suffering damage during a ferocious storm with 60-knot winds.
Goodall was about 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn in the southern Pacific Ocean when it happened and tweeted she was "totally and utterly gutted".
The route for next year's Velo Birmingham, external and Midlands has been released.
Image source, Velo BirminghamThe 100-mile closed-road race starts in Birmingham city centre and passes through Coventry and Warwickshire.
Image source, Velo BirminghamRiders will pass through National Trust estate Packwood House, as well as historic Kings Norton Green and Bartley Green reservoir.
Road closures, external could impact local travel arrangements and residents during the 12 May 2019 event, said organisers.
BBC Sport
The Stoke City player Bojan Krkic says he's loving life in the Championship playing for the Potters - despite once being labelled the 'new Messi'.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe one-time wonderkid has spoken to the BBC about how he struggled with such high expectations at the start of his career.
But, having joined Stoke almost four and a half years ago, he says it's in England that he is proudest of his career.
Quote MessageHere in England is the place I feel more respected outside the pitch. I feel really proud of my career - more here in England than in Spain. There are different mentalities. Here the people respect you. I felt this is a nice place."
Bojan Krkic, Stoke City player
Stoke-on-Trent Live
The Stoke-on-Trent Live page has these stories this morning:
A Worcestershire MP said he's "disgusted" by a decision by the parole board to clear for release a man who killed three children and impaled their bodies on railings.
Image source, Mercury PressElsie Urry's children, Paul Ralph, four, Dawn, two, and nine-month-old Samantha were killed by David McGreavy at their Worcester home in 1973.
Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, said he's written to the Justice Secretary calling for a solution "which means none of us in Worcestershire will have to put up with him".
Robin Walker, MP for Worcester, described McGreavy as "extremely dangerous" and said that the Parole Board's decision should be considered with "the utmost seriousness by government".
McGreavy has been cleared for release from prison after more than 45 years.
Violence during the Potteries derby at Vale Park needs to "reignite" the debate over what football clubs should pay for policing, according to Staffordshire's police and crime commissioner (PCC).
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Police say up to 200 people were intent on causing trouble as Vale played Stoke City and released video of men smashing toilets and windows at Vale Park.
PCC Matthew Ellis, who praised officers for the way they handled the policing operation, said it may have cost the force up to £90,000.
More than 150 officers were sent to the stadium and 11 men were arrested.
Coventry Live
Some of today's headlines on the Coventry Live site are:
A Birmingham MP has spoken in Parliament calling for stricter laws on shisha smoking lounges, following concerns they can become crime hotspots.
Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood Shabana Mahmood believes licensing rules should be tightened after reports some attract anti-social behaviour and even become fronts for organised crime.
Ms Mahmood secured the debate at Westminster on Wednesday to concentrate attention on public order and not on any health dimensions.
The present rules are "totally inadequate", she said, calling for "a more effective regulatory regime".
A pilot programme to tackle homelessness has helped get 29 people off the streets in Walsall.
The Housing First scheme sources homes for people who are then given support to help them remain there.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street introduced the scheme after a trip to Finland to see how the country has cut drastically the number of people sleeping rough.
Conservative leader of Walsall Council Mike Bird said he hoped the pilot would help others in the region to roll the programme out.
