Two West Midlands Conservative MPs have reported receiving death threats over their positions on Brexit.

The offices of the Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy and the Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach say the threats have come by post and over the phone.

Staff working for Mr Lefroy say intimidating phone calls have been made to the constituency office and his office in London, and in one instance Mr Lefroy said notes were left on a car belonging to one of his staff while it was parked at his home overnight.

The nature of the notes was said to be graphic and the police say they are taking them seriously.

Both MPs have supported the prime minister's Brexit deal and in yesterday's indicative votes they supported staying in the EU single market.

Worcester News

Here are three of the headlines in the Worcester News today:

• Man attacked staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, external
• Police patrol finds 10 unlocked cars in an hour, external
• Dog needed stitches after attack in field, external

Sixteen Office Outlet stores, including one in the West Midlands, will close with the loss of 161 jobs.

Image source, Office Outlet

The former Staples chain fell into administration last month and Deloitte today revealed that store closures will begin on Sunday.

Nine stores will close on 7 April, and a further seven - including the Walsall store - on 10 April.

As well as the 161 job losses announced today, 106 workers were made redundant at the company’s head office and distribution centre.

The financial position of Birmingham City Council remains "immensely serious", according to an independent panel report.

Image source, PA

The Independent Improvement Panel was tasked with scrutinising the authority after the government released its Kerslake report of 2014 following an inquiry into the so-called Trojan Horse case.

The panel has completed its review, concluding the risks to the council's financial resilience are "considerable".

The report does praise a steady improvement in children's services, but stresses that the dispute with bin workers has affected overall progress.

The council must "modernise its industrial relations if it is to make the improvements to service provision that are needed", the report adds.

The council leader has said they recognise there are still challenges around finance and industrial relations.

It concluded the government should put in place "external independent challenge and support" to replace the panel, now it has stood down.

Up-for-sale Port Vale enter into a 'confidentiality and exclusivity' agreement with potential buyers Carol and Kevin Shanahan.

A scheme to demolish a Wolverhampton nightclub in order to create a new college campus has been approved.

Image source, City of Wolverhampton Council

Planning permission has been granted to demolish the former Faces nightclub building, paving the way to create the City Learning Quarter scheme.

City of Wolverhampton College is set to relocate its Paget Road campus to the site, which will also encompass the council's Adult Education Service and Central Library.

The development around the Old Hall Street and St George’s Parade area of the city centre will provide a "huge facelift" to that area of the city, said the council.

Matt Sandoz
BBC Radio Stoke

Port Vale are closer to being sold after entering a 'confidentiality and exclusivity' agreement with potential buyers Carol and Kevin Shanahan.

The club's chief executive Colin Garlick has said today they have reached a "significant point" in the sale process of finding a buyer, having entered into the agreement with the Shanahans, who own Stoke-on-Trent-based IT company Synectics Solutions.

Image source, Getty Images

The club's current owner Norman Smurthwaite has said he is walking away from the football club on 5 May and if a new buyer isn't found, the club will go into administration.

Port Vale has said there is still a lot of work to do and it is focused on completing the sale in the next five weeks.

Shropshire Star

Here are three stories from the Shropshire Star today:

• MP calls for review of remand system, external
• Bus service cuts 'will hit most vulnerable', external
• 17 overseas medics offered jobs, external

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

A Solihull football club has submitted plans to install a synthetic training pitch in place of its current turf surface.

Image source, Getty Images

The application by the Moors has been lodged with the council’s planning department and seeks permission to introduce a new 3G facility at the Damson Parkway site.

The development would also include a new perimeter path, fencing and a floodlights system.

A statement submitted on behalf of the club argues the all-weather scheme would “expand and improve” the facilities available to both the club and the wider community.

CCTV images have been released of men police would like to speak to after a teenager was robbed of his phone at knifepoint.

Image source, British Transport Police

The victim was threatened by three men, one with a knife, whilst standing on the Birmingham-bound platform at Aston station with his friends on 7 March.

The suspects then left the station by boarding the 16:01 service towards Birmingham.

British Transport Police is asking anyone who recognises the men in the images to come forward.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Worcester MP Robin Walker says he'll be writing to Highways England after it was revealed roadworks at junction six of the M5 will take nine months longer than expected.

The work was supposed to have been completed before the end of last year and that completion date was initially pushed back three months to the start of spring.

Image source, Google

Highways England said the work will continue into the autumn and it can't give a more specific completion date at the moment. The delays have been blamed on "poor ground conditions".

A settlement of £9.9m has been agreed by the government with G4S over the decision to take back control of a crisis-hit prison.

Image source, Getty Images

A written statement from Prisons Minister, external Rory Stewart confirmed HMP Birmingham would come back into public ownership after the private company running it had its contract terminated.

The Prison Service took it over, initially for six months, in August, and will now run it permanently.

The settlement covers the additional cost to the Ministry of Justice of its "step-in action", he said, and also includes an amount to cover essential maintenance works.

"I am confident that we are beginning to get a grip on the issues driving violence and that we will see the results of this in the coming months," he added.

A woman has been taken to hospital after being attacked in Newcastle-under-Lyme in the early hours of this morning.

Staffordshire Police says officers were called to the area off Ashenough Road in Talke Pitts just before 05:00.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The 22-year-old woman was treated for minor injuries at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and the scene of the attack has been cordoned off.

BBC Weather Watchers

The best way to describe the skies over the West Midlands today is probably "mixed".

We've had all sorts shared by the BBC Weather Watchers this morning, from thick grey cloud over Penkridge, to bright blue skies over Telford and a bit of both in Dorrington.

Image source, WolgarstonSci

Image source, Wrekin Rambler

Image source, Thistle Treader

BBC News Travel

At least three vehicles are involved in a crash that's blooking one lane of the M6 southbound in Warwickshire.

There's heavy congestion around the area between J3 and J2.

Birmingham Live

These are some of Birmingham Live's headlines today:

• Damning inquiry calls for troubleshooters to force failing council to improve, external
• Terrorist friends 'watched gory Islamic State videos before travelling to Syria, external
• Police called as commuter sits in empty first class zone, external

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Brexit may have been delayed, but the parishes of Yarnfield and Cold Meece have successfully completed their own exit from the control of Swynnerton Parish Council.

The villages, near Stone, in Staffordshire, were given permission for the split by Stafford Borough Council four months ago after an eight-year campaign.

Image source, Google

A portion of the Swynnerton parish funds have been transferred over to the new Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council, which starts with three councillors and an interim parish clerk.

Another seven councillors, five for Yarnfield and two for Cold Meece, are due to be elected when Stafford Borough Council goes to the polls on 2 May, and the first full council meeting is due to take place a few days later.

There would have been four councillors on "Yarxit Day" yesterday, but one of the main instigators of the breakaway, David Tucker, died in late December.

Restrictions on the number of women giving birth at a West Midlands hospital have been lifted.

Image source, Google

About 500 births were moved from Walsall Manor Hospital to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton after its maternity unit was judged "inadequate" by inspectors in 2016.

The hospital said the measures were needed "to ensure the safety and stability of maternity services".

Following an improved rating by the Care Quality Commission and "ongoing efforts of staff and senior leaders", it will now start accepting bookings from all GP practices, said Walsall Healthcare.

The trust is also considering the re-opening of its Midwifery-Led Unit later this year, it said.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Stoke City's Joe Allen says their performance in the goalless draw against Sheffield Wednesday was "miles better" and he's confident they can improve their goal scoring form.

Only two sides in the Championship have scored fewer goals than Stoke this season and both of those sides - Ipswich Town and Bolton Wanderers - are in the relegation zone and appear set to go down.

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke have also failed to score in their last five matches and have found the net just seven times in the Championship since the start of the year.

More than £600 will be donated to emergency services who attended a fatal house fire in Stafford.

It was raised at a memorial for the four siblings who died in the fire in the town in February.

Image source, PA

A separate online appeal which was set up immediately after the fire raised more than £32,000 and that has been put into a trust fund for the surviving child.

Police are still investigating the cause of the house fire on Sycamore Lane.