BBC Midlands Today

An author from Birmingham says he's published a series of children's books to try and tackle a lack of ethnic diversity in children's reading.

Stephen Bryant wrote the stories featuring characters of African and Caribbean descent after he says he noticed there was a lack of representation in primary school story books.

Last year, the Centre for Literacy and Primary Education charity said children's books should feature more ethnic minority characters in central roles.

A new hourly rail service will be introduced between Shrewsbury and Birmingham in May.

Trains will stop at Wellington, Telford, Shifnal, Codsall and Wolverhampton along the way and there will be a new hourly service on Sundays too, stopping at all stations.

These are the extra hourly services promised by West Midlands Trains when it took over the service in 2017, which were due to be introduced last December.

The company said it was told to delay the launch by the government, because of "industry problems" elsewhere in the country.

Francis Lovelock was found with a head injury at his Stretton home last year.

A man's been found not guilty of manslaughter after being accused of killing his neighbour in Burton-upon-Trent.

Image source, Google

Francis Lovelock, known as Frank, was found at his home in Main Street, Stretton, in July 2017.

The 64-year-old died from a blunt head injury, a post-mortem test showed.

Martin Hayday, from the same street, had denied Mr Lovelock's manslaughter and today the 43-year-old was found not guilty after a trial at Stafford Crown Court.

BBC Sport

Worcester Warriors wing Josh Adams (pictured top) is expected to start for Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday, while Wasps' Elliot Daly (pictured bottom) is likely to start for the visitors at full-back

Image source, Getty Images

Fellow Wasps Joe Launchbury, Brad Shields and Dan Robson will be among the England replacements in Cardiff, but there is no place for their team mate Nathan Hughes.

Both sides go into the game at the Principality Stadium unbeaten after their first two matches.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC WM

A motorcyclist has suffered serious injuries in a crash with a car in Dudley. , external

The collision happened on Stourbridge Road at about 22:20 last night, the ambulance service says

Image source, Google

Crews say the man suffered several injuries and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

A child in the car was taken to Russells Hall Hospital for further checks.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Rudimental and Soul II Soul are the headline acts at this year's Nozstock Festival in Herefordshire, it has been revealed.

This year's event on 18-21 July marks the 21st year of the the four-day festival near Bromyard.

Image source, Getty Images

Other acts include Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana and Jamaican band the Skatalites.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Bin workers in Birmingham are going to be balloted for a fresh wave of strikes over the spring and summer.

Members of the Unite union are already striking for two days a week over the next five weeks over claims some staff have been "blacklisted" for taking part in industrial action in 2017.

They've worked to rule since 29 December over what it calls "secret payments" given to GMB members who abstained from a previous strike - claims it has repeated in a fresh response, external to a GMB statement this morning.

Now, Unite says it's balloting its members over claims some bin lorries are being sent out without a collections officer, despite a legal agreement to do so.

The union says, if the latest vote is in favour of industrial action, more strikes could be called from late March through into early summer.

Birmingham City Council has previously said that, due to the current strikes, it introduced a contingency plan which "falls outside the remit of the agreement" reached in 2017 after the strikes that year.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's still February, but it's starting to feel like spring and the BBC Weather Watchers have been sharing some sunny photos today, including these ones of sheep and lambs in Shropshire.

Image source, Peter Steggles

Image source, Skye

Coventry Live

Here are three stories from the Coventry Live website today:

• Hospital's latest bid to improve parking chaos, external
• Wasps vow to press ahead with major development, external
• Huge new student accommodation complex, external

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A man's been jailed after admitting robbing a shop with a pretend sawn-off shotgun which police say turned out to be two metal bars taped together.

Image source, Cheshire Police

Cheshire Police says Matthew Hust terrified staff at the Game store on Market Street, Crewe, in October when he threatened them with it. , external

Officers say he fled with more than £2,200 and a games console.

The 35-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and was sentenced earlier this month to four years in prison.

The former Labour MP for Worcester Mike Foster says he believes there will be more MPs leaving both the Labour and Conservative parties to join the Independent Group.

Mr Foster wouldn't reveal the names that had been mentioned to him and couldn't say when the next resignations would happen, but said "I expect the size of that group to grow".

Image source, PA

Robin Walker, the Conservative who took the seat in 2010, said it should be up to the MPs who resigned to decide if there should be a by-election.

A Shropshire hospital that was told it had to improve three years ago, has been rated "good" in its latest Care Quality Commission inspection report.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital at Gobowen, which specialises in orthopaedic care, was inspected in November, following a critical report in 2016.

Image source, RJAH

The hospital's director of nursing Bev Tabemacle said she recognised the report, "also gives us areas of improvement".

BBC Midlands Today

An MP has urged the government to help an ill 10-year-old girl get access to a life-extending drug which will be available in Scotland later this year.

Eleanor Smith (pictured), who represents Wolverhampton South West, told the Commons that Heidi Prescott was born with a rare muscular-wasting disease called spinal muscular atrophy.

She told MPs that her constituent could be helped with a new drug called Spinraza which will be available in Scotland from April.

The prime minister said the UK's health watchdog would meet in March to consider a new bid to have the treatment approved from the firm behind the drug.

A woman's been taken to hospital after firefighters cut her free from an overturned car in Herefordshire.

It happened at around 19:45 yesterday in Bredwardine, when her car hit a hedge.

Two paramedics treated the driver at the scene, before taking her to Hereford County Hospital.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

The Stoke-on-Trent Live website's covering these stories today:

• Eight children aged 13 to 16 named by magistrates after 105 anti-social behaviour incidents, external
• Homeless man died days after finding accommodation, external
• Knife-wielding teen terrified innocent family after smashing way into 'wrong' home, external

Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent has lost all its free cash machines after several banks closed.

A union has hit back at claims its members were given "secret payments" for not striking in Birmingham in 2017.

It comes after the first in a series of new strikes by bin workers in a dispute with the city council.

The latest walkouts stem from Unite union claims some staff have been "blacklisted" for taking part in industrial action in 2017, when piles of rubbish were left on the streets.

The Unite members have worked to rule since 29 December over what it calls "secret payments" given to GMB members who abstained from a previous strike.

A "reasonable" offer had been made to unions, Birmingham City Council has said and talks with Unite are set to resume.

Today, the GMB union said the suggestion of secret payments to members for not striking in 2017 was a "grotesque slur".

It says it had instead secured compensation settlements over the council's failure to consult the GMB about new working arrangements.

BBC Sport

Great Britain forward Luke Ferrara scored twice in the third period to help Coventry Blaze to a 3-1 win at Nottingham Panthers last night.

The result was their third win in a row and improves their chances of a top-eight finish and a spot in the end-of-season play-offs.

Image source, Karl Denham

The final goal was scored by Kevin Morris, as the Panthers pushed for a late equaliser.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Hereford County Hospital is asking for £40,000 from developers planning to build new student accommodation in the city.

The Wye Valley NHS Trust says the additional 178 students living there will put extra strain on its resources and that the hospital is already running at full capacity.

Image source, Google

The accommodation will serve Hereford College of Arts and the city's new university.

The request will be considered when the plans are discussed by councillors on 27 February.