A crash involving a lorry and a car is likely to mean the closure of the M50 between junctions 1 and 2 for some time, West Midlands Ambulance Service has warned.

The collision left the lorry straddling the central reservation and it will have to be removed and the barrier repaired before traffic can return.

West Mercia Police have tweeted, external to ask people trapped in the queues "not play football in the carriageway like some did."

Image source, West Midlands Ambulance Service

The man who was driving the lorry and a woman driving the car were both taken to hospital in Worcester for treatment.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Vandals have damaged a £33,000 training centre used to train young cricketers.

Image source, Porthill Park Cricket Club

Officials at Porthill Park Cricket Club, Newcastle-under-Lyme, said specialist artificial turf was ripped out from their training nets on Sunday night,, externala month after it was installed.

They posted the news on social media and attracted the attention of former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, who branded the vandalism, external 'disgusting'.

Staffordshire Police said they're investigating.

A new study carried out by Birmingham City University has shown that changing how music is taught in schools could boost attendance for struggling students.

Image source, Gar Powell-Evans

In the research, 974 pupils aged between 11 and 15 took part in a new project to teach electronic, grime and hip hop music in schools instead of classical.

Pupils who'd been at risk of being expelled when the study began had attendance records of more than 95% by its end.

Some people already excluded from school went back into education.

They studied artists like Stormzy instead of Mozart, got involved with the music industry and other local music-making projects, in partnership with their secondary schools.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

More dry weather ahead tonight and tomorrow for the West Midlands, here's the latest weather forecast:

You can get a latest forecast for your area at any other time by heading to the BBC Weather website.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A primary school building will continue to be used, even though its pupils will be taught elsewhere.

The federation which runs Stiperstones Primary in Shropshire says the 38 children will be going to schools in nearby Chirbury and Norbury from January 2020, because of a funding shortfall, but hopes to bring them back when pupil numbers increase again.

Image source, Google

Les Ball, the federation headteacher, said that while the day-to-day teaching will not continue at Stiperstones, children would be bused there regularly for various activities.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

Plans to tackle anti-social behaviour in the centre of Birmingham have will target and criminalise rough sleepers. protesters said.

The city council's proposing to bring in a three-year Public Space Protection Order, external for the city centre saying it has received complaints about harassment from gangs, urination and verbal abuse.

The order also includes banning begging and 'obstructing footpaths and highways'. Those who do will be fined and campaigners say they fear homeless people could 'bear the brunt' of the action.

At a demonstration in Victoria Square earlier, organiser Jo Shemmans said: "Sleeping in a doorway is not a crime if you don’t have a home, asking for a few pence for a cup of tea is not a crime."

The authority's defended its plans, stating the proposals were not designed to target rough sleeping and, following a consultation, external, the plans will now be examined by councillors.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

Wasps have given first team contracts to seven academy players.

Tom Willis, Gabriel Oghre, Owain James, Will Porter, Callum Sirker, Tim Cardall and Sam Spink have all made the step up.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Tarren Millar, 27, was disqualified from driving at Cannock Magistrates' Court.

The Home Secretary and Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid is believed to have asked to see Theresa May, to ask her to withdraw a pledge to give MPs a vote on holding another referendum.

The Prime Minister said it would be put to the House of Commons, if MPs support her withdrawal bill when it goes before Parliament in two weeks' time.

Opposition parties, and many Conservatives, have said they won't back the withdrawal bill.

BBC Weather Watchers

We don't often see a circumzenithal arc quite like this.

The phenomenon, also known as a Bravais arc or an 'upside down rainbow', are formed when sunlight refracts through ice crystals at the right angle.

This one was photographed in Shrewsbury yesterday evening by one of our Weather Watchers, using the name The Fishery.

Image source, The Fishery

BBC Sport

Warwickshire's fans are being urged not to lose faith in the side's young players, despite the team losing their third game in a row in the County Championship.

Image source, Getty Images

Somerset needed four more wickets to beat the Bears today and, despite resistance from Sam Hain, Liam Norwell and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, they won by 49 runs.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Anderton Park protest leader Shakeel Afsah has blamed the school's headteacher for the ongoing row over equality teaching.

The Birmingham primary school has seen weeks of large-scale protests over the lessons with demonstrators claiming they contradict their values.

Image source, PA

In an interview today on ITV's This Morning Mr Afsah (pictured) said headteacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson hadn't done enough to talk to parents and the local community.

He added: "The lack of her responsibility to consult people who hold their religious faith very close to their hearts and to make them sensitively aware of what’s going on."

Earlier this year Ms Hewitt-Clarkson said she was "meeting lots of parents", with a series of 12 meetings set up between now and the end of June.

John O'Brien says he was "deeply grateful" to all those who helped save him.

Dudley News

The Dudley News is covering these stories today:

• Warning over female gang targeting OAPs, external
• Fraudster must pay back £34k over housing scam, external
• Petition launched to help stop Stourbridge College closing, external

A 17-year-old boy is arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of a man who was shot in the stomach.

A sixth person has been arrested in connection with a security van robbery in Rugby last month.

Warwickshire Police said the 41-year-old of no fixed address was arrested in Fenny Drayton and, as he was also wanted on prison recall, has been returned to jail.

Two other men and three women have also been arrested in connection with the raid, which took place outside the Lidl store on Bilton Road on 9 April.

The four gold and 15 silver coins, dated from 50 BC to AD 45, were reported by a landowner.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A second teenager's been arrested after another man was shot in the stomach at a barbers.

The 23-year-old victim was assaulted by a group of men in the shop in Wolverhampton Road, Walsall, shortly after 17:00 BST on Sunday.

West Midlands Police said he's still in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

A 17-year-old man walked into a police station yesterday, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and released on bail, external, police said.

A 19-year-old man arrested previously, also on suspicion of attempted murder, has been released on bail.

Cats named after Shakespeare characters hang out at Stratford-upon-Avon cafe.

BBC News Travel

A crash involving a car and a lorry on the M50 has brought traffic to a standstill on the eastbound carriageway.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene at 14:22 and found both vehicles had ended up on the opposite carriageway.

A woman in her 30s who was driving the car and the driver of the lorry were both taken to hospital in Worcester.

Image source, Google

West Mercia Police said the road between J1 and 2 is likely to remain closed into the evening.