A resident living near to the site of a tyre factory fire in Tyseley, Birmingham said the heat was so intense it damaged nearby homes.

Muhammad Asif, 36, who lives across the road from the tyre centre, said: "I heard a really loud bang at about 02:50 this morning.

"At first it was a small fire at the back and roof of the building, and then within the next 10 minutes the flames had totally spread.

"We live across the road and the fire was so intense, our front windows upstairs have cracked.

"Even with the windows closed we could still feel the heat."

Details have been released of the funeral procession for the former England and Stoke goalkeeper Gordon Banks.

It's due to take place on Monday and will start at Stoke City's stadium at 12:15 and will pause at his statue before heading down Sir Stanley Matthews Way and down the A5035 through Blurton, Dresden and Longton.

It then travels down Anchor Road, Dividy Road, Werrington Road and Leek Road towards City Road and Old Boothen Road, where it will pass the old Victoria Ground site.

The procession then heads up Campbell Road, Boothen Road and the Stoke town ring road and finally Glebe Street into the Minster.

An inquest has been opened into the deaths of a young Shropshire couple who died within hours of each other in Australia.

It heard Jason Francis, a 29-year-old semi prof footballer who was living in Perth, Western Australia, was hit by a vehicle while he was walking on 22 December.

His partner, Alice Robinson, who worked for a digital magazine, was found dead the following day at an address in the city.

Image source, Facebook

The inquest into their deaths, at Shrewsbury coroners court, was adjourned until the 22 May to await the outcome of a separate inquiry in Perth.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A planning application for a major retail development near the M6 in Cheshire has been turned down.

Cheshire East Council's planning committee yesterday said Muller Property Group's scheme for a petrol station, drive-through restaurant, cafe and other shops off Junction 17 at Sandbach shouldn't go ahead on farmland south of Old Mill Road.

Image source, Muller Property Group

The company also wanted to build 92 new homes and a 78-bed care home, plus convert an existing barn into two houses and transform a farmhouse on the site into two homes.

Concerns had been raised about the amount of traffic it would create, the layout of the site and the effect on the town centre.

Hopes for a resolution to the bin dispute in Birmingham seem to have disappeared after talks between Unite and the city council broke down last night.

Image source, PA

The union suspended industrial action on Wednesday as a "gesture of goodwill", but after talks said the council had "failed to get to a payment that would allow parity within the workforce".

The city council says it has put forward the "best settlement possible" to Unite to resolve the dispute but has not been able to reach an agreement.

"This leaves us with no other option but to take the matter to court today to test the lawfulness of the industrial action,” it adds.

A decision will be taken at the High Court later.

The early deaths of the siblings' mother and sister prompted them to be tested for a cancer gene.

A tyre dealership in Tyseley, has been "totally destroyed," said the fire service.

Fire service area commander Neil Griffiths said: "At the height of the fire the conditions were incredibly challenging and quite dangerous, which is why we needed over 100 firefighters to deal with it assertively, safely and effectively."

"The flames were incredible," he said.

"The only thing that is left is the four outside walls."

He added the fire service was investigating the cause of the blaze.

Road closures are still in place and residents have been asked to avoid the area, West Midlands Police said.

BBC Business News

Investors are slamming the brakes on Aston Martin's shares after the luxury British carmaker reported a pre-tax loss of £68m, compared with profits of £85m in 2017.

Chief executive Andy Palmer had also said a delay to Brexit would be "a further annoyance".

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Martin shares fell more than 9% having risen sharply earlier in the week.

At the end of last year the Warwickshire-based manufacturer said it was considering flying in components via Coventry Airport and Birmingham Airport to avoid border friction in Dover after the UK leaves the EU.

The boy is accused of murdering Hazrat Umar, 18, who was stabbed to death in Birmingham.

Specialist equipment has been used to help bring the fire under control at a tyre factory in Tyseley.

Incident commander Neil Griffiths said "good progress" had been made with containing the fire, and some crews would be remaining on site throughout the day.

A number of nearby businesses had been "saved" he said.

At its height, more than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze on Wharfdale Road, Tyseley.

A hedgehog who was taken in by a wildlife charity after losing all his spines, has started to grow them back again.

Cuan Wildlife Rescue in Much Wenlock named him Bear and has been feeding him and giving him massages to encourage their growth.

Staff think he might have lost them due to stress brought on by an ear mite infection.

This is what he looked like last month.

Image source, Cuan Wildlife Rescue

This is what he looks like now.

Image source, Cuan Wildlife Rescue

Express and Star

Here are some of the stories making the early headlines on the Express & Star website:

• Prisons hiring criminals and gangsters as guards, external
• Trains could be running directly between Walsall and Wolverhampton by 2021, external
• Ex-Wolves youth footballer avoids prison after 110mph M54 chase, external

Fire crews attending the tyre factory fire in Tyseley are being scaled down.

Image source, West Midlands Fire

At its height, more than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze on Wharfdale Road, with 20 fire engines called to the scene.

The first crews arrived within two and three minutes, after being called at 02:56, said the fire service.

Remaining crews are expected to be at the scene for several hours, it said, along with fire investigators.

BBC Business News

The number of cars made in the UK fell in January for the eighth month in a row, with much of the decline driven by plunging demand in China and the EU.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said production overall fell by 18.2%, but output for destined for export was down by 21.4%.

Image source, Getty Images

Output for China was down by 72% while for the EU it was 20% lower.

Last week, Honda announced the closure of its Swindon plant by 2021. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Nissan are also cutting production and jobs.

When JLR said last month that it would be cutting 4,500 jobs, most of them in the UK, it blamed the sales slowdown in China.

A man convicted of murdering a nightclub reveller amid a row over the venue's electronic punchbag, is set to be sentenced later.

Image source, Family handout

Daniel Baird (pictured) died after a dispute between two groups of men spilled on to the street outside the Forge Tavern in Digbeth, Birmingham, in July 2017.

Carlton Donaldson, 24, of Minstead Road, Erdington, was also convicted of wounding with intent, attempted wounding, violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.

He'll be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court later.

West Midlands Police says officers are helping at the scene of the fire in Tyseley.

Redfern Lane is now closed, along with Wharfdale Road and Rushey Lane.

The severe factory blaze, at a tyre centre in Tyseley, Birmingham is now under control, said the fire service.

More than 100 fire staff were called the site on Wharfdale Road shortly before 03:00.

Crews will remain at the site throughout the day, the fire service said.

Residents living close to the severe factory fire in Tyseley, Birmingham are being advised to keep all windows and doors shut.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

More than 100 firefighters have been working to contain the blaze at the single-storey factory unit on Wharfdale Road.

The fire is in a unit near the Royal Mail office close to the junction with Redfern Road.

Nearby Tyseley railway station remains open, but people are being advised to avoid the area.

Bin workers in Birmingham resume their industrial action today after a one-day suspension.

More than 300 workers started a series of walkouts over claims of "secret payments" made to non-striking GMB staff after a dispute in 2017 - claims denied by both the council and the GMB

Talks between the union and council broke up at about 23:00 on Wednesday.

The council and GMB previously have said the payments were "properly made, for a failure to consult during the talks that ended the 2017 dispute".