Trains are having to run at a reduced speed through Walsall after some lines were flooded.

West Midlands Railway said this was causing delays but services were starting to return to normal.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Prices for drivers using the M6 Toll are going to rise again, operator Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) has said.

From 12 July, the costs of using the motorway will increase by between 10p and 30p per journey for cars and motorbikes, depending on the time of travel.

They'll also rise between 10p and 50p for LGVs and 20p to 50p for HGVs.

Car drivers currently pay £6.40 on weekdays and £5.30 at weekends to use the 27-mile route between Cannock and Coleshill., external

MEL has said there will also be a new off-peak rate for drivers using the M6 Toll between 05:00-07:00 and 19:00-23:00 at a "discounted rate".

It's the third year in a row that prices have been raised by the operator.

Birmingham Live

• Gang who transported £20m drugs haul on M6 film themselves counting huge piles of dirty cash, external
• How Birmingham schoolchildren who don’t speak English as first language are falling behind, external
• 'Fiesta cannibals' strike again as horrified Solihull pub landlady left with wrecked car, external

Bristol Rovers sign central defender Tom Davies from fellow League One side Coventry City on a free transfer.

A crew from West Midlands Fire Service are likely to remain at the site of a derelict factory in Walsall today after a huge fire broke out on Tuesday.

By 06:00 this morning, the fire service said the operation had been scaled down but firefighters would stay there to keep an eye on the situation.

Image source, West Midlands Fire

At its height, dozens of firefighters were tackling the blaze on Marsh Street, Walsall, which was reported just before 17:00.

Part of the building has since collapsed and nobody is believed to have been hurt.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

It's a pretty damp start to the day here in the West Midlands, so don't forget your umbrella!

Throughout the afternoon it should dry up but the rain will be back with persistent showers into the evening.

A yellow weather warning from the Met Office is still in place.

Riyah Collins
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Wednesday.

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.

A 17-year-old denies murdering Hazrat Umar, 18, who was stabbed to death in Birmingham.

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.

A prisoner who poured boiling water over a fellow inmate after threatening to kill him in a bid for money has been jailed for a further 16 years.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Marcus Millar was serving a sentence at HMP Birmingham when he forced another man into his cell and demanded cash in August 2017.

The 27-year-old, of no fixed address, was serving an eight month prison term for possessing an offensive weapon at the time of the attack, police said. , external

At Birmingham Crown Court on 3 June he was convicted of false imprisonment, assault and two counts of blackmail, and sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison.

The Hundred is tipped for success after the launch of 100-ball cricket at club level in the Midlands.

Steve Swann
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

A Birmingham teenager carried out the “vicious and unprovoked” murder of a fellow student in a knife attack which left the victim with a fatal wound to the heart, a court has heard.

Hazrat Umar, 18, was stabbed in Norwood Road, Bordesley Green, on 25 February.

Image source, Family handout

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court was shown CCTV footage which prosecutors say shows the defendant – who was 16 at the time - repeatedly stabbing and stamping on Mr Umar.

He is alleged to have later disposed of a “huge Rambo knife” which the police have never found.

The jury was told that though the two teenagers attended the same college there was no obvious motive for the killing

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murder.

June Spencer - who plays Peggy Woolley in the long running BBC radio drama - is 100 this week.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Parts of a derelict factory have collapsed after a huge fire broke out in the building in Walsall, the fire service has said.

Dozens of firefighters have been on Marsh Street and Navigation Street since about 17:00 and have urged residents to keep their doors and windows shut., external

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

Rain and showers will fade through the evening and the first part of the night with lows of 8C (46F).

A yellow warning for rain remains in place , externalfor most of the West Midlands until Thursday.

A former footballer, abused by paedophile coach Bob Higgins, "self-destructed" later in life, a court has heard.

Image source, Solent News and Photo Agency

Higgins (pictured), 66, was convicted of indecently assaulting 24 boys, mostly Southampton and Peterborough trainees.

A victim impact statement written by former Coventry City player Billy Seymour, before his death in a car crash in January, said the abuse had "debilitated my whole life".

His words were read in court by his mother Jean Seymour.

She read: "Only now am I coming to terms with what you did to me as a young, defenceless lad who admired you, hero-worshipped you and, I feel sick to my stomach to say, loved you."

Her son concluded: "I am in safe hands now, real safe hands, not those you offered me. I am a fighter, this is closure. Goodbye Bob Higgins."

Sentence is due to be passed on Higgins on Wednesday.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Joe Burn

Taxi drivers will be forced out of a town if a new licensing policy's introduced, according to local companies.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's drawing up the fresh policy which includes new rules for vehicle testing and a cut in the age limit for vehicles.

But firms have said the changes could increase costs for customers and lead to a mass exodus of operators looking for 'friendlier' boroughs.

The council's said it's listened to feedback from the taxis and made changes but believes its first priority is keeping passengers safe.

The authority's licensing committee meets this evening to agree any further alterations to the proposed policy., external

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

A new police power in Coventry has gone live – enabling officers to move on groups of two or more if they believe them to be causing trouble.

Image source, Coventry City Council

Coventry City Council approved the new Public Space Protect Order (PSPO) at cabinet earlier today after unanimous backing.

It gives police the power to move on groups whose behaviour “has or is likely to have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the community”.

Those that fail to comply will be given ‘breach notice’ and a £100 fine reduced to £60 if it is paid within 14 days, or court action after.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

A live music venue's closing 'with immediate effect' in Coventry.

The owners of the Arches Venue, based in Spon End, has posted on Facebook that 'with heavy heart' they're shutting down. , external

They add that an alternative venue will be found for as many events as possible and apologise for cancelling shows.

As firefighters continue to fight the huge factory fire in Walsall, several photos of the blaze have been tweeted by onlookers.

These have been taken by @richard_price2 who described the building as 'fully ablaze':, external

Image source, @richard_price2

Image source, @richard_price2