Aston Villa climbed back to up to fifth in the Championship table as they beat struggling Rotherham.

The team came from behind with ten men to record a seventh straight win.

Image source, Reuters

Villa now trail neighbours West Bromwich Albion, in fourth, by just four points following Bristol City's win over the Baggies 24 hours earlier.

"That's a big win for us. One of the toughest games we've had. To perform like that with 10 men was totally about desire," Villa head coach Dean Smith said.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
George Makin

Councillors have thrown out plans to build a mosque on busy road in Smethwick – after councillors were forced to park on double yellow lines when visiting the site.

Image source, Google

An application to build a place of worship in a former solicitor’s office on Bearwood Road was rejected after Sandwell planning committee approved recommendations to reject the scheme because of traffic congestion.

It was the second attempt by the Gambian Islamic Centre to create a mosque after it withdrew a similar application last year.

Councillors at a meeting on Wednesday, external heard the plans only provided 18 parking spaces for a building that could hold up to 250 worshippers at peak times on Friday afternoons.

Birmingham Live

These are some of Birmingham Live's headlines today:

• World's biggest Primark opens in Birmingham, external
• Stolen car parts worth £270,000 seized in series of 'chop shop' raids, external
• Police investigation after serious smash on Wolverhampton Road, external

Officers investigating an armed robbery at a shop in Stoke-on-Trent have released CCTV images of a man they'd like to speak to.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Cash, alcohol and cigarettes were stolen from Premier Stores on Birches Head Road on 30 March, police said.

A 22-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent, arrested in connection with the incident, has been released under investigation.

A woman has died after being hit by a motorcycle in Oldbury.

Image source, @SnapperSK

Emergency services were called to reports of the crash involving a motorbike and pedestrian on the A4123 Wolverhampton Road close to Birchley Island shortly after 20:30.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “The pedestrian, a woman, was in a critical condition when ambulance staff arrived."

She died at the scene, a short time later.

The motorcyclist, a man, sustained minor injuries and didn’t require hospital treatment.

Image source, @SnapperSK

Two new orchards are to be recreated in Herefordshire on a 21-acre site where Victorian orchards once stood.

Image source, PA

The first one will be created on land at Brockhampton, which is cared for by the National Trust and currently used for grazing.

It will tell the story of how apple trees were brought from Kazakhstan and Russia thousands of years ago, the group said.

Image source, PA

The second orchard, on a neighbouring tenant's farmland, aims to create more nature-friendly habitats, with traditional varieties of damson tree planted alongside meadow grass with native wildflowers to encourage pollinators.

The project has received an award of £140,000 from Postcode Earth Trust, raised by players of People's Postcode Lottery, and funds from Arts Council England.

Warwickshire and Worcestershire play their first games of the County Championship today.

The two played a pre-season friendly at Edgbaston last month, but play their first competitive games of 2019.

Warwickshire begin their new Division One campaign against Kent at Edgbaston,

Worcestershire, relegated from Division One last September, start their season with a Division Two game against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

A man who sold toxic slimming pills online that killed a bulimic student, is set to find out if his conviction will be overturned.

Image source, West Mercia Police

Eloise Parry, 21, from Shrewsbury, died after taking eight diet pills containing dinitrophenol (DNP).

Bernard Rebelo, 30, from Gosport, was jailed for seven years after being found guilty of two manslaughter charges and placing unsafe food on the market in June 2018.

Challenging his manslaughter convictions at the Court of Appeal in London in February, his lawyers argued there should not have been two counts in relation to one death.

A judgement on his appeal is expected later today.

The brains of armed officers are being analysed to see how they cope under pressure.

Officers are being asked to wear a virtual reality headset and have electrodes attached to their scalp as part of the Aston University project.

It's to test their brain activity when having to make decisions in high-stress situations around using firearms and Tasers.

The results of the study could help inform the way all armed police officers are trained in the future

Train companies face a pensions black hole of up to £7.5bn, the Pensions Regulator has warned.

Image source, Reuters

Virgin Trains, which runs which runs the West-Coast Mainline through the West Midlands is likely to cease operation as a result.

The warning was made in a letter to lawyers representing the rail industry trade body, the Rail Delivery Group.

The issue has been highlighted after it led the Department for Transport (DfT) to bar Stagecoach, which owns 49% of Virgin, from bidding for three franchises as it did not meet pensions rules.

Express and Star

These are some of the early headlines on the Express and Star website today:

• Willenhall E-ACT Academy out of special measures in new report, external
• Hospitals spend more than £800,000 on taxis, external
• Hundreds of schools are overcrowded, external

Three people have been arrested after dozens of stolen car parts were recovered in police raids on suspected "chop shops" in Birmingham.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Parts belonging to 12 stolen vehicles, worth an estimated £270,000, were found at sites in St Margaret's Road, Hob Moor Road and Beach Road, police said.

People aged 18, 29 and 44 were arrested on suspicion of theft and released while investigations continue.

The world's biggest Primark is opening its doors to shoppers in Birmingham.

Image source, Cloud 9 photography

Covering 161,000 sq ft over five floors, and with a Disney-themed cafe plus two other eateries, a barber shop and beauty studio, it could mean a new generation of department store.

Image source, Cloud 9 photography

Primark said the store was a chance for it to do something "special".

The opening sees Birmingham take "the largest Primark crown" from Manchester.

Such is the anticipation for its opening, expected to attract about 5,000 people, public transport companies are publishing travel advice.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

It will be a dry and fine day with some cloud and highs of 12C (54F).

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Children who lost their dad to cancer launch an environmental award in his name.

Time lapse footage shows the building of the shop, which opens to the public on Thursday.

Aston Villa come from behind with 10 men to record a seventh straight win in a game of three penalties at Rotherham.

Sheffield United have to settle for a draw at Birmingham as they hand control back to Leeds in the Championship promotion race.

Mark Jones told Birmingham Crown Court Hitler was a prominent figure in his ideology.