Coventry Blaze are in Scotland for a mid-week match against Dundee Stars this evening.

The team travelled up yesterday and need a win over the team just below them in the Elite League table to keep up their hopes of competing in the play-offs.

Image source, Scott Wiggins

Coventry have five games left and sit just outside the play-off places at the moment, level on points with the team above them - Manchester Storm.

Those two sides meet on the final weekend of the regular season.

Allen Cook
BBC News

The news that pottery manufacturer Wedgwood is planning to cut 145 jobs in Staffordshire is a blow to one of the historic lynchpins of ceramics in the county.

The 260-year-old firm is one of the oldest in the world, set up by Josiah Wedgwood, the grandfather of naturalist Charles Darwin:

• The pottery firm was founded in Etruria, Staffordshire, by Josiah Wedgwood in 1759
• The first museum opened in 1906 and the collection remained on public display at the factory until the start of World War Two
• Wedgwood moved its factory to Barlaston in 1940
• The company merged with Irish brand Waterford Crystal in the 1980s to create Waterford Wedgwood
• It had debts of about £400m when it went into administration in January 2009
• The company was bought by US equity firm KPS Capital Partners in 2009 and became Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton
• In 2015 WWRD was sold to the Finnish consumer goods company Fiskars for £285m

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Proposals for three large housing developments in Shropshire have been given an early stamp of approval by councillors, as part of a review of the county's development masterplan.

They include 3,000 new homes near junction three of the M54 and houses at Clive Barracks near Market Drayton and the former Ironbridge power station site.

People will be asked for their thoughts on the proposals in May or June.

One councillor, Kevin Turley, an independent member who represents Shifnal, warned communities feel they have been ignored and predicted legal action if the plans move forward.

Hereford Times

Here are three of the top stories from the Hereford Times today:

• Hereford man wins £71 million, external
• Man's body lay undiscovered for a year, external
• Call for volunteers to join river Spring clean, external

The jury at the Birmingham pub bombings inquests have been told that a group of Irishmen were overheard in a pub hours before the first blast talking about “bangs” supposedly to go off in the city centre.

A heating engineer Norman Catton, heard the conversation in a pub in the Stirchley area at lunchtime on 21 November, 1974 and reported it to police.

Bombs, believed to have been planted by the IRA, went off that night at two pubs, killing 21 people.

The inquests have been read a written statement given by Mr Catton, who died last year, and in it he struggled at first to get the police to take an interest and when he persuaded two officers to go to the pub with him, the Irishmen had gone.

He said when the bombs went off eight hours later he was “devastated" and "angry that nothing had been done”.

Taxpayers are going to have to pay £15,000 after thieves stole bins and play equipment in Solihull.

Image source, Solihull Borough Council

The borough council says it suspects the items have been taken by thieves for their scrap metal value.

They include 11 litter bins from Tudor Grange Park, four dog bins from Hillfield Park and play equipment, including swings, from Babb's Mill Park.

Wasps hooker Tom Cruse agrees a new undisclosed-length contract extension with the Premiership club.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's the first day of spring and it really looks like the weather is agreeing as there have been plenty of photos of blue skies over the West Midlands, snapped by our local BBC Weather Watchers.

These three are from users Tay in Newport, Shropshire, Carol in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton and Silverlady in Knowle, Solihull:

Image source, Tay

Image source, Carol

Image source, Silverlady

The "drunken" online shop included 144 rolls of toilet paper and over 50 tins of food.

Dudley News

The Dudley News is covering these stories today:

• Council paid £8k pothole compensation to 12 motorists, external
• Dog rescued from house fire, external
• Man arrested after woman's arm is broken at Walsall hotel, external

Drivers are being warned of a potential fire risk after 150 recalled BMW exhaust coolers were stolen. , external

Police say the parts were taken on 10 March on Ventura Park Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire.

The force says the coolers had been recalled last year due to a slight chance of a potential fire risk.

Euromillions winner Ade Goodchild said he thought he might have won £5 when he first checked his ticket and then thought he'd won £71,000.

The Hereford factory worker said it was only after he put his glasses on that he realised he'd hit the jackpot, but even then he doubted he'd won the whole lot.

"I thought 'wow, a lot of people have shared the jackpot this week but fair play'. Then I read the prize amount again and realised that it was actually £71 million and just one winner - me!"

Mr Goodchild says the first people he called were his mum and dad and he celebrated it by watching the Wales versus Ireland rugby match with a takeaway pizza, spicy chicken wings and an Italian beer.

He says he'll use the money to help his extended family and also plans to buy a new house with a swimming pool and a few staff to run it.

Neville Staple has remixed A Message To You Rudy after the death of his 21-year-old grandson.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Fears of more flooding appear to be receding as the Environment Agency has lifted four flood warnings in Shropshire.

Image source, Environment Agency

There are still several flood alerts, external, meaning flooding is possible, in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire but the Environment Agency says river levels are falling.

Staff have also taken down temporary flood barriers this morning in Bewdley as they say the River Severn there's passed its peak., external

Image source, Environment Agency

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Coventry City Council says it's held more meetings with Coventry City football club, to help resolve the dispute over its stadium.

As things stand, the club's deal with Wasps, the owners of the Ricoh Arena, expires at the end of the season and the Football League says if they can't find a home, they could be kicked out of the league.

Image source, Getty Images

The club said last week it was looking to build a new stadium, and the leader of Coventry City Council George Duggins said: “Council officers have talked to Coventry City Football Club around issues that relate to a relocation from the Ricoh Arena in recent years, the details of which I will not go into today."

He added council officers had held more talks yesterday.

BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

A young Shrewsbury Town side lifted the Shropshire Senior Cup after beating a youth side from AFC Telford United on penalties last night.

The teams were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes at Market Drayton and Shrewsbury goalkeeper Cameron Gregory then saved two spot kicks to help his side win the penalty shootout 4-3.

Shrewsbury's academy manager David Longwell (pictured above with Shrewsbury captain James Rowland) said it had been "great experience" for his players.

The teenager was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital for treatment, the ambulance service said.

Birmingham Live

The Birmingham Live page is covering these stories today:

• Man fighting for life following brutal nightclub brawl, external
• Wife mocks drunk husband who spent £600 in emergency shopping for no-deal Brexit, external
• School where 'parents turn up drunk' opposes shop's booze licence in Birmingham, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

The owners of pottery firm Wedgwood say they are still committed to making ceramics in Barlaston, Staffordshire, despite planning to cut almost a third of the workforce.

Image source, Google

The site currently employs 440 people but the Fiskars Group says it wants to make changes to what's made there which are expected to lead to 145 jobs being cut.

The company says it expects to move production of some tableware items from Barlaston to other sites.

Tim Wedgwood
BBC News

Pottery maker Wedgwood is set to cut 145 jobs at its main site in Staffordshire.

The firm says the planned move at Barlaston is an attempt to strengthen the overall business and make it more competitive.

Wedgwood says it's reviewing all its production lines, but will focus the Barlaston operation on making hand-crafted, high-end products.