A police escort led a procession which included two horse-drawn carriages to the funeral of four Stafford children who died in a house fire last month.

One of the carriages carried the coffins of eight-year-old Riley Holt and Tilly Rose Unitt, aged four. The other carried those Keegan Unitt, six, and Olly Unitt, three.

Some residents watched the procession pass and others put teddies in their window at the suggestion of the bereaved family.

Steve, a dad from the Highfields area, where the children had lived, said: "As a parent in that situation you don't really know how many people are there to support you unless people actually show it."

Flood alerts have now been issued for parts of Shropshire , externaland Staffordshire as Storm Gareth continues to approach.

A Met Office yellow weather warning is in place for the West Midlands , externalbetween now and Thursday.

A man who was found with fatal injuries in Coventry on Sunday has been named as Daniel Chappell.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The 26-year-old was found dead at a property in Vincent Street in the Spon End area of the city at about 01:40 on Sunday.

The family of Mr Chappell described him as a "loving father, son, brother and partner" who will be "greatly missed by all of his family and friends".

A 29-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on police bail pending further inquiries, said West Midlands Police.

A flight to Birmingham has returned to Turkey after the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) banned the Boeing 737 MAX from operating in or over UK airspace.

Image source, Norwegian

The decision was taken "as a precautionary measure" after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people on board.

The Turkish Airlines flight to Birmingham turned around and returned to Istanbul.

In the aftermath of the accident, Ethiopia, Singapore, China, Germany, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia have all temporarily suspended the 737 Max.

Ofsted says there is no evidence a school in Birmingham has "focused disproportionately on LGBT issues".

A woman walking in a Birmingham road has been shot in the arm from a passing car in what police believe to be a targeted attack.

Image source, Google

She had been walking along Washwood Heath Road with her partner when she was shot on St Margaret's Avenue at about 21:50 on Monday.

The woman remains in a stable condition in hospital.

No arrests have been made, said West Midlands Police, who are appealing for witnesses.

Lessons about LGBT rights and homophobia at a school which have sparked parent protests are age-appropriate, Ofsted has said.

Head teacher David Williams described the report as "great news".

Rallies have been held outside Birmingham's Parkfield Community School over the No Outsiders project.

In a report, Ofsted's senior inspector Peter Humphries said: "A very small but vocal minority of parents are not clear about the school's vision, policies and practice.

"This group of parents feel that staff do not sufficiently listen to their concerns.

"Their view is that PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) education and equalities curriculum focuses disproportionately on LGBT issues and that this work is not taught in an age-appropriate manner.

"Inspectors found no evidence this was the case."

Police praised the victim of 22-year-old Aziz Khan for her bravery in coming forward.

Daniel Chappell's body was found in property in Coventry on Sunday.

Coventry Live

Some of today's headlines on the Coventry Live website are:

• Police name man found dead in Coventry flat, external
• Two arrested after man stabbed with scissors in city centre, external
• Work starts on student accommodation scheme at old hospital site, external

Samuel Hughes
BBC apprentice

There is a growing spoken-word poetry movement developing in Birmingham

Spoken-word poet Adjei Sun said he finds inspiration from diversity in the city with the art form allowing him to express his voice.

Ahlaam Moledina, whose work centres around race and gender, said poetry has allowed her to talk about issues that connect her to her community.

You can see more on this story on the BBC Midlands Facebook page., external

Kevin Nunes's murder is to be re-investigated after police errors led to overturned convictions.

Two people have been arrested after a man was attacked with a pair of scissors in Coventry city centre.

Image source, Google

The man, 27, was arrested on suspicion of wounding after the 55-year-old victim suffered a small puncture wound to his chest.

A 29-year-old woman was detained for assault and theft after a stolen laptop was found in her handbag, police said.

They remain in custody, said West Midlands Police.

Footage shared online appeared to show West Midlands Police officers hitting a man repeatedly.

Telford's two largest housing developments are having an extra £500,000 spent on them, with residents being invited to say how they want it spent.

The leader of Labour-run Telford and Wrekin Council Shaun Davies described Lawley and Lightmoor (pictured below) as "two of the boroughs newest and fastest growing communities".

"They face a unique set of challenges linked to their growth," he said.

Image source, Google

Telford's mayor Raj Mehta said like many places with new homes there were a few "teething issues" which the money would help resolve.

Two women arrested on suspicion of firearms offences - after a gun along with bullets, drugs and a knife were found in a handbag - have been released pending further investigation.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The two, aged 22 and 23 from Birmingham, were arrested when officers were called to complaints about off-road bikers at Witton Cemetery, Moor Lane on Sunday night.

The items were found in a bag during a search of a vehicle at the scene, said West Midlands Police.

BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

The Shrewsbury Town manager Sam Ricketts says tonight's game away to Plymouth would be a clash of two sides "on a decent run".

His team have won two of their last five games and before Saturday's defeat to Rochdale they'd been on an unbeaten run which stretched back to the start of February.

Image source, Getty Images

Describing Plymouth as "a team similar to us", Ricketts said: "They certainly try to play football and move the opposition around a bit with their ball-speed and passing so hopefully it will be a game that will suit us and we can assert some control and get the ball moving and play to our strengths."

Two people have been jailed for causing a crash which killed a cyclist in Worcestershire.

West Mercia Police said 59-year-old David "Ross" Fawthrop died when his bicycle was involved in a collision with a Ford Transit van and a Vauxhall Corsa on Bromsgrove Road in Romsley on 15 June 2017.

Image source, Google

The van driver, Balvinder Sangha, 46 and from Old House Lane in Romsley, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and given a driving ban of three years and six months. He was found guilty of causing death by careless driving at Worcester Crown Court.

The car driver, Emily Wilkinson, 21, from Chestnut Drive, Hagley, was sentenced to six months, with a driving ban of two years and three months, after being found guilty of the same offence.

Jeanette Mountford says it has taken three years to fully regain fitness after her illness.

The idea of turning Stoke-on-Trent's former East West shopping precinct into a 3,500 seat events venue is being pitched to potential investors in France.

The city council said the international property exhibition offered a "great opportunity" to set out its plans for the Hanley site which is being demolished.

It said the new venue (artist's impression below) could be used for concerts, sports events and business conferences and there would also be a football pitch and hotel.

Image source, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

The authority said it was also trying to persuade companies to get involved in the redevelopment of the Swift House site and the area around Stoke railway station.

This is the artist's impression of how it could look.

Image source, Stoke-on-Trent City Council