Midlands Live: Breaking news and local stories

Summary

Updates from Monday 24 June to Sunday 30 June
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Live Reporting

Hundreds oppose 'waste of money' village hall planpublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC Hereford and Worcester
A petition to block plans to build a village hall in Worcestershire has attracted more than 1,000 signatures in a fortnight.
Image source, Google
Pershore Town Council wants to spend more than £800,000 on the development on land of Defford Road. , external
Campaigners have said it'll cause traffic problems, damage the town centre and be a "waste of taxpayers' money".
The council said the planned venue would be much closer to most residents and it's about to launch a consultation on the idea.
'Hopeful signs' on fire ravaged beauty spotpublished at 13:05 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
"Hopeful signs" of life are being seen at the site of a huge moorland fire which ripped through 148 acres and burned for nearly a fortnight, conservationists say.
Image source, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
An out of control camp fire caused the blaze which spread across the Roaches, in Upper Hulme, Staffordshire, in August.
At the time, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust said it had been "devastating" for wildlife.
Image source, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
This week, the trust says its team surveyed the site, external and saw heather starting to germinate over large areas along with other plants but added "it could be another decade before it's back to its best".
In the papers: Mum of shooting victim has 'shattered heart'published at 12:52 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Coventry Live
Some of Coventry Live's headlines today are:
Jess Glynne cancels concerts as 'throat needs urgent rest'published at 12:41 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
Jess Glynne has pulled out of a concert in Staffordshire next month because she says her vocal chords need urgent rest.
Image source, PA Media
Writing on Twitter, Glynne said, external: "I came to Boston to see my surgeon who told me my vocal chord has haemorrhaged and that if I wanted to remain as a performer I needed to urgently take a break."
Forestry England said she's cancelled her upcoming concerts including Cannock Chase Forest on 5 July which was sold out. , external
Ticket holders are being promised a refund.
A38 reopens after 'bridge incident'published at 12:31 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC News Travel
The A38's reopened in Staffordshire after police say an incident's come to a safe conclusion.
The force said they were called to the Hillfield Lane bridge, in Stretton, near Burton-upon-Trent, just before 11:30.
M5 delays after detached trailerpublished at 12:26 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC News Travel
Drivers are being warned of delays on the southbound M5 in Worcestershire due to a detached trailer.
Highways England said the vehicle's been cleared away now just after the exit for J5, Droitwich, but there's still a backlog of traffic., external
A38 closed 'due to police incident'published at 12:17 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC News Travel
The A38 in Staffordshire's been shut in both directions due to a police incident.
Staffordshire Police said it's closed near Clay Mills, north of Burton-upon-Trent., external
Man 'hit with crutch' in attempted robberypublished at 12:13 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
A man's been attacked with a crutch in an attempted robbery.
Image source, Google
The 44-year-old was on Hungerford Avenue, Crewe, on Tuesday night when Cheshire Police said two men attacked him, after one of them had demanded cash. , external
The victim's suffered minor injuries and needed hospital treatment.
'Backwards and draconian' abortion laws criticised by MPpublished at 11:51 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
A Birmingham MP has criticised the UK's abortion laws as "backwards and draconian" ahead of an appearance at Glastonbury Festival.
Image source, PA Media
Speaking to the Glastonbury Free Press, external, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips said she would "fight with every bone in my body to stop Jacob Rees-Mogg having anything to do with my womb".
"Being tough on abortion has become a cool identity for the Conservatives," she said. "What I loathe about abortion policy in the UK is it shouldn't be a matter of conscience, it's about evidence-based health policy."
She'll be taking part in a discussion entitled: Our Bodies, Our Rights, at the White Ribbon Alliance's Parlay Parlour on Saturday.
In the interview she also admitted breaking her ankle jumping the fence on a previous visit to the festival.
Asked whether she had taken drugs, she said: "Of course I have. Quite a lot when I was younger, but I've certainly not been hypocritical about how we need to change drugs policy - unlike Michael Gove."
In the papers: Swim campaign after lake deathpublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Stoke-on-Trent Live
The Stoke-on-Trent Live website's headlines today include:
Budget cuts 'jeopardise children's rehab'published at 11:36 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
A report says cuts to Walsall's Youth Justice Service is "affecting the quality of work with troubled children".
Read More
Edwards joins Plymouth from Walsallpublished at 11:28 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Plymouth Argyle sign versatile midfielder Joe Edwards following his release from League Two rivals Walsall.
Read More
Your photos: Sunshine and blue skiespublished at 11:22 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC Weather Watchers
What you really want when you're sitting in an office on a day like today, is to see just how gorgeous our region's looking under the sunshine!
These three are from local BBC Weather Watchers Mr Twister in Leek, Staffordshire, Deemel in Westbury, Shropshire and Postman Les in Bromyard, Herefordshire:
Image source, Mr Twister
Image source, Deemel
Image source, Postman Les
Two injured in Black Country crashpublished at 11:07 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Two people have been taken to hospital following a crash in Dudley this morning.
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
Emergency services were called to the junction of Birmingham New Road and Rookery Lane just before 08:30.
The road was closed for a time, police said, but has since reopened.
A woman in her 50s and a man in his 20s were both taken to hospital as a "precautionary measure," said the ambulance service.
Apartment plans for former librarypublished at 10:50 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Gurdip Thandi
A former community library building in Walsall could be converted into an apartment block if a proposal is given the go-ahead.
Image source, Google
Plans have been submitted to Walsall Council’s planning department to extend the former Walsall Wood Library in Coppice Road and create 15 flats.
The library was one of nine facilities across the borough closed by the then Labour-led administration in 2017 due to budget pressures.
The proposal for the site is to increase the existing building height from single storey to three storeys and also extend the building to the north.
Horse box wrecked in farm firepublished at 10:40 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
A horse box has been destroyed in a fire at a farm.
Image source, Cheshire Fire Service
Cheshire Fire Service was called to Townsend Lane, Scholar Green, near Alsager, , externalyesterday afternoon and found the vehicle "well alight".
Several cylinders had to be removed to a safe distance while the fire was put out and it was then found to have started accidentally.
Jeremy Hunt backs HS2 in Tory leadership racepublished at 10:29 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC Politics
Tory leadership contender Jeremy Hunt has pledged to press ahead with the HS2 railway scheme if he becomes prime minister.
Image source, Alstom
Construction of the first phase of the £56bn high-speed rail network project between London and the West Midlands is currently under way.
Mr Hunt's Conservative leadership rival Boris Johnson is promising to review the project if he enters Downing Street, amid concern over the cost of the development and its impact on the environment.
But, in the Conservative Party digital hustings on Wednesday evening, the foreign secretary said the scheme would be good for the country's economy.
Quote Message
What would it say to the whole world if we paused it or said we weren't going to do it anymore? It would say, has this country lost its mojo and I want us to be the fastest growing and most dynamic, most exciting, greenest, most high-tech country in Europe. For that, we've got to have these projects."
Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary
In the papers: Teachers strike at school 'where violent pupils carry knives'published at 10:16 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
Birmingham Live
Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today are:
- Teachers to strike at ‘Outstanding’ school where 'violent pupils carry knives', external
- Environment protesters block key Birmingham roads causing traffic chaos, external
- New Street crime revealed as police respond to staggering amount of incidents, external
Labour candidate ditched after no-confidence votepublished at 10:05 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
BBC Shropshire
Labour has deselected its candidate in the Shrewsbury after a no-confidence vote last night.
Dr Laura Davies had stood for the party in the last two general elections and most recently had doubled Labour's share of the vote.
However, she had gone against the party policy regarding the reorganisation of hospital services in the area and suggestions of a personality clash.
Official party policy is to lobby for full services at both hospital sites in Shrewsbury and Telford.
Dr Davies, who works at both sites, had called for a single super-hospital alongside downgraded hospitals at the existing sites.
Some party members reacted to the result of the vote with surprise.
Teachers 'hit in mouth' and threatened with knifepublished at 09:51 British Summer Time 27 June 2019
A teacher was hit in the mouth and another threatened with a knife, at a school where teachers are taking strike action, a union claims.
Image source, NASUWT
The NASUWT said bosses aren't sufficiently supporting staff over pupil behaviour at Starbank School in Birmingham, leading to two days of industrial action.
Paul Nesbitt from the union said the female staff member who'd been threatened "was quite taken aback" the pupil was allowed back into school.
"Even though the school is aware that they have students causing serious issues, there's no risk assessment being carried out," he added.
The city council said conversations are ongoing with the unions "over concerns that have been raised by staff".