Stoke-on-Trent Live

Stoke-on-Trent Live is covering these stories today:

• Residents left fuming over location of new pedestrian crossing, external
• Abusive boyfriend attacks partner five times in six weeks, external
• Plans revealed for petrol station, shop and 24-hour drive-thru on Stoke-on-Trent road, external

A man has died in a fire on the top floor of a 16-storey block of flats in Coventry.

Image source, Google

Crews were called to Faulkner House on Stoney Standon Road shortly before 18:00 on Monday.

One man died at the scene, said the ambulance service.

Investigations into the cause are on-going, but the blaze, which was contained to one flat, is not being treated as suspicious.

League Two Stevenage sign striker Jason Cowley from non-league club Bromsgrove Sporting.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

A van's crashed through the front window of a pizza restaurant this morning., external

Image source, West Mercia Police

Hereford and Worcester Fire Service said it smashed into the Pizza Express on Cathedral Square, Worcester, at about 08:15.

It said the driver had managed to get out of the vehicle by the time it arrived and was treated by paramedics.

The restaurant wasn't open at the time.

Follow four fixtures from Division Two of the County Championship - listen to BBC local radio commentary.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Warwickshire are back in County Championship action today and will be looking to try to register their first Division One win after being promoted last season.

Image source, Getty Images

The Bears have only played one game so far and were beaten by eight wickets at Edgbaston by Kent. They host Hampshire today.

In Division Two, Worcestershire are also playing and host Durham. They've also only played one match of the County Championship and won by an innings at Leicestershire.

You can follow coverage of both matches on the BBC Cricket website or via local radio commentary.

A teenage boy hit by an ambulance responding to an emergency call is in a critical condition in hospital, police say., external

The 15-year-old was struck on Lichfield Street, Walsall, at about 17:40 on Monday.

He was treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital.

The West Midlands force said it was working to piece together the events leading to the crash and appealed to members of the public who might have dashboard camera footage.

Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin are among the lowest mental health spenders per person in England, new figures reveal.

Image source, Getty Images

Mental health charity Mind looked at investment across 42 NHS regions.

It found that Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin spent £134.77 per person last year, compared with South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, which spent more than £220.

The charity said the differences were huge and would affect the quality of care but, despite the variation, spending was still rising everywhere.

A commissioner has been appointed to oversee improvements to children's services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Image source, Google

Ofsted has rated the council's services inadequate, saying it had failed "on the most basic of levels" to safeguard children.

The authority said it was taking immediate action to make improvements.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We have appointed Eleanor Brazil as the commissioner for Stoke-on-Trent and its improvement plan is being taken forward as a matter of urgency.”

A teenage boy suffered potentially serious injuries when he was hit by an ambulance responding to an emergency call.

It happened in Lichfield Street, Walsall, just after 17:30 on Monday.

The teenager was treated at the scene before being airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

No-one in the ambulance was injured, though they were badly shaken.

The ambulance service will be working with collision investigators to establish what happened, the West Midlands trust said.

Express and Star

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

• Alleged wife killer denies poison-pen letter affairs claims, external
• Former deputy leader’s firm owed Brazilian housing investors £21m, external
• Worker stabbed colleague after production line row at chicken factory, external

Puppies and kittens will not be allowed to be sold from anyone other than their breeders from spring 2020.

The new legislation - known as Lucy's Law - will ban third parties, including so-called puppy farms, from selling animals in England.

The law is named after Lucy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - adopted by Lisa Garner from Studley, Warwickshire - who died in 2016 after being poorly treated on a puppy farm.

The new law would require animals to be born and reared in a safe environment with their mother and to be sold from their place of birth.

You can read more about her story here.

West Bromwich Albion will be without top scorer Dwight Gayle for their Championship play-off semi-final second leg against Aston Villa.

Image source, Getty Images

The on-loan striker scored his 24th goal of the season in Saturday's first leg defeat before he was sent off.

Aston Villa will have a full squad available as they look to reach the final for the second successive season.

The team which triumphs this evening will go on to face either Leeds United or Derby County, for a place in the Premier League.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

Birmingham City Council's set to approve spending more than £25m to develop a new Islamic girls’ secondary school.

Image source, Google

The cabinet's meeting today to pass the business case for a temporary school at Clifton Road, Balsall Heath, and a permanent facility at Hob Moor Road in Small Heath.

The school's needed with secondary years set to be axed by this September at council-funded Al-Hijrah in Bordesley due to its illegal segregation of girls and boys.

A report, going before the cabinet today, , externaladmits the time-scale to deliver both developments is 'challenging' but the proposed opening of the permanent school is 2021.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

It will be a dry fine day with sunshine and highs of 19C (66F).

A fire at a derelict pub in the West Midlands last night is being treated as suspected arson.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

Crews were first called to the former Merrivale pub on Crosswells Road, Oldbury, shortly before 23:00 on Monday.

Image source, West Midlands Police

A structural engineer on site confirmed the building, including the gable end and chimney, are stable, said the fire service.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Tuesday.

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.

Police searching for student midwife Joy Morgan's body will be in the Stevenage area for seven days.

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Andrew Morris

Plans to turn part of the A5 in Shropshire into a dual carriageway are "the next battle", the local authority says.

Image source, Google

Shropshire Council's been presenting its proposals to the government for the route around Oswestry.

Councillor Steve Davenport, portfolio holder for highways, said it was "a priority" after the local authority secured £54m from the government for Shrewsbury's bypass earlier this year.

The council says it's "very confident" it will also succeed in getting cash from the government for the A5 plans.