A man is in hospital in a critical condition after falling from height at a building site for a new housing estate in Nantwich, Cheshire.

The air ambulance was sent to the Stapeley Water Gardens site on Wednesday morning, said the ambulance service.

Barratt Homes said building work had stopped as it worked with the Health and Safety Executive to establish what had happened

A group of MPs has asked the government to step in to help save Acorns children's hospice in Walsall.

The hospice has said it will have to close later this year unless it can raise more than £1.5m.

If it closed, it would mean more than 200 children would lose vital support or be forced to travel long distances, and 70 jobs would be lost.

The group have written to the health secretary and are now backing a national campaign by the charity Together for Short Lives, which is calling for more funding for hospices across the country.

NHS England said funding for children's end-of-life care was "going up every year".

A man wanted over a burglary spree in the West Midlands has been arrested after police found him hiding on an island in the middle of a nature reserve lake in Dudley.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The 36-year-old was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia before being arrested in connection with nine burglaries in Dudley and Birmingham.

Officers spotted a stolen VW Polo being driven at speed along Birmingham New Road in the early hours of Tuesday morning before chasing the suspect towards the area known as Donkey Pool, said West Midlands Police.

The fire service joined the search using a dinghy and night-vision cameras and he was found 90 minutes later.

The UK’s first hydrogen train has gone on display in Long Marston, Warwickshire.

The Hydroflex has been developed in a joint initiative by the University of Birmingham and the rolling stock company Porterbrook.

BBC reporter Tom Burridge went on a test run.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

After some patchy rain it should be a largely dry day with highs of 18C (64F).

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 and , externalFacebook., external

A Leamington Spa junior school replaces its uniform with "activewear", despite objections.

The Teddy Trust sends thousands of teddy bears to children abroad who have gone through trauma.

A charity for terminally ill children warns hospices are under threat unless the NHS increases funding.

With measles cases on the rise in UK, Dr Aayesha Hassan is fighting misinformation and distrust within the Somali community.

A charity comes in for criticism for its immersive experience depicting the lives of poor African children.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson plays one of the great World Cup innings to steer his side to a tense four-wicket victory over South Africa at Edgbaston.

"Homophobic comments" were made by a group of youngsters and a person was punched, police say.

Yorkshireman Oliver Hannon-Dalby takes his first eight-wicket match haul as Warwickshire limit Yorkshire's progress at York.

Worcestershire end day two with a seven-run lead over Sussex after a day of half-centuries at Chester Road.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The new leaders of Herefordshire Council are asking what the costs of scrapping the Hereford bypass and southern link road would be.

The coalition group includes Green Party members who were elected on a promise of scrapping the bypass and it has asked officers to draw up a report on the likely financial implications.

Image source, Google

No decision on the plans have been made yet, but the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, Terry James, said scrapping the bypass would be "financial suicide".

And the former Conservative councillor responsible for infrastructure, Philip Price, estimated the immediate cost would be around £10m, with "immeasurable" damage to the potential growth of the county.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell says they're still looking to strengthen in all areas before the new season starts.

Image source, Getty Images

But he said they haven't got lists of positions they want to add to and are instead working on a principle of adding any players who will improve the squad.

So far the club has signed winger Daniel Powell and defender Olly Lancashire.

BBC WM

The number of people sleeping on the streets of Birmingham's risen by 53% in the last year, according to the city council.

Image source, Getty Images

Since 2012, the authority's admitted rough sleeping's increased by 500% and 91 people are on the streets every night at the moment.

But it claims measures such as street intervention and a new initiative called Housing First are working.

The latter scheme gives homeless people with other issues such as addiction all the services they need in one place., external

BBC Shropshire

The Marches Centre of Manufacturing and Technology in Bridgnorth is offering 15 young people the opportunity to learn how to restore vintage cars.

The three-year heritage engineering technician apprenticeship is just getting under way and combines classroom lessons and hands-on work.

The centre said the Federation of Historic British Vehicle Clubs believes 1,000 new apprentices are needed every year to keep up with demand in the classic car business.