Local Democracy Reporting Service

The route will be changed for next summer's Velo cycle race in the West Midlands, following complaints over this year's event and Solihull councillors say concerns raised by residents must be addressed before next June.

A council report on the 2019 Velo Birmingham and Midlands noted some disruption was caused and Councillor Joe Tildesley, Solihull’s cabinet member for leisure, tourism and sport, said a planning group would once again meet monthly to discuss preparations.

Image source, RB Create Ltd

This year, about 17,000 people took part and the council noted the event had raised more than £1m for charity. Councillor Diana Holl-Allen said it could be seen as a "tremendous success", but there had been some difficulties.

The event faced criticism two years ago, with some residents saying they felt trapped in their homes. This year, a vet said he may have been able to save the life of a horse or its newborn foal had he not been delayed by stewards.

Speaking last month, Velo organisers said they were "committed to growing and improving it year-on-year".

Solihull Council said it planned to increase the number of school and community events around next year's race, to encourage more people to take up cycling and physical activity.

A woman and three children have been taken to hospital in Stoke after their car hit a house and overturned in a field near Wem.

No other vehicles were in the crash on Shrewsbury Road, which happened just after 15:00.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A collection of Wedgwood art, ceramics, letters and photographs is going to be put online for people across the world to study and enjoy it.

Image source, Wedgwood Museum

In 2014, the Wedgwood Museum collection was "saved for the nation" after a £15.75m target was reached in a month to stop it being sold off.

The collection was gifted to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and loaned to the Wedgwood Museum n Barlaston, Staffordshire in perpetuity.

Now, the V&A says it's going to rename the museum as the V&A Collection at World of Wedgwood and appoint a new chief curator.

It will then work on cataloguing and digitising the collection so it can be "enjoyed and studied by academics, researchers, students and fans of pottery around the world".

To mark 40 years since their first record, two-tone legends The Specials play four home-coming gigs at Coventry Cathedral.

Tranmere Rovers sign striker Jordan Ponticelli on a six-month loan deal from League One rivals Coventry City.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

After a pretty dry day, we're in for some rain tonight in the West Midlands, here's the full forecast:

Head to the BBC Weather website at any other time for a latest forecast for your area.

Police have been given another 36 hours to question a 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering a Droitwich pensioner.

The man was arrested on Monday, following the death of 80-year-old Desmond Wooding (pictured below) at his home on Vines Lane on 24 June.

Image source, West Mercia Police

A 55-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Joe Sweeney

A revamp of Wolverhampton Civic Hall will be finished on time and within budget, a council's pledged.

Image source, Google

The ongoing refurbishment of the building has been hit by several setbacks, including the collapse of construction group Shaylor last month.

The local authority's Director of Regeneration, Richard Lawrence, told councillors it had already had several offers of replacement contractors and he was confident work would restart this autumn.

The Civic Hall is currently scheduled to reopen in 2021 which, along with the regeneration of the city's Wulfrun Hall, was budgeted at £38.1m last year.

West Midlands officer Palvinder Singh sent naked selfies to two women and is jailed for 14 months.

Tributes have been paid to the Stoke-on-Trent actor Freddie Jones, who played Sandy Thomas in Emmerdale for 13 years, who's died at the age of 91.

He also appeared in films such as Dune, Wild at Heart and The Elephant Man and two of his sons, Toby (pictured below, left) and Caspar also followed him into acting.

Image source, Getty Images

His agent Lesley Duff said he died on 9 July after a short illness. Katherine Dow Blyton, Harriet Finch in Emmerdale, said she felt "so lucky" to have worked with him.

Mark Charnock, aka Marlon Dingle, said Jones was "an amazing man" who "would light up the set with his wit and charm".

And Charlotte Bellamy, who plays Sandy's daughter-in-law Laurel, said she spent her time working with him "in awe of his professionalism, humour and his zest for life".

Hereford Times

Here are three headlines from today's Hereford Times:

• Two arrests after car crashes into house, external
• Town Hall back to its former glory, external
• Citizens Advice Bureau praised, external

A university graduation ceremony with a difference takes place - on a rollercoaster.

A delivery van driver has been attacked by a man in Tamworth, who stole his vehicle.

Staffordshire Police said the robber happened in Torside at 09:50 on Monday and the van, which had been carrying parcels, was later found abandoned in Leicestershire.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The force said he also had his mobile phone and neck chain stolen and described it as a "frightening ordeal".

The vice chancellor tells the BBC: "I should have reached out sooner" to speak to female students targeted by abusive men.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Kerry Ashdown

A community lottery set up to bring in £100,000 a year for good causes in south Staffordshire is bringing in less than half of that.

South Staffordshire Community Lottery was launched in 2017 and although ticket sales rose to their highest level last year, it only raised £45,500 in the last financial year.

South Staffordshire Council says it's hired a new marketing company and one of its aims will be to help improve the fortunes of the lottery.

BBC Weather Watchers

Today's been one of those days when you might have had cloud or blue skies, all just depends where you are - at least, that's what it looks like from the photos from our BBC Weather Watchers.

These three are from users Mrs_Strivzy in Himbleton, Worcestershire, Snapper Simon in Church Stretton, Shropshire and Stormchaser Al in Halesowen, Dudley:

Image source, Mrs_Strivzy

Image source, Snapper Simon

Image source, Stormchaser Al

Staffordshire Live

The Staffordshire Live website's headlines today include:

• M6 named and shamed among UK's least popular motorways as drivers slam road, external
• Fly-over shut 'until further notice' after drivers raise 'safety concerns', external
• Plans revealed for future of 'past its sell-by date' Burton park, external

Tony Palladino and Ravi Rampaul take two wickets each as Derbyshire climb to third by beating Worcestershire at Kidderminster.

BBC Sport

Delving deeper into the fixture lists for the new Premiership rugby season, we see Worcester Warriors will have a home game during Christmas week, external, against London Irish on 28 December and their final league game will be away to Sale Sharks.

They make the short trip to play Gloucester on 20 December and Wasps on the weekend of 27/28 March.

Image source, Getty Images

Wasps travel to Bristol to play an evening match on Friday 27 December, external and end the season at home to Exeter Chiefs.

They play local rivals Northampton on 21 March.

If either side reach the premiership semi finals, they will be played on 13 June, with the final on 20 June.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will be making a three-day visit, external to the Diocese of Herefordshire in October.

Image source, Getty Images

The Most Reverend Justin Welby will be in Herefordshire and Shropshire, learning about the work done by the Bishop of Hereford the Right Reverend Richard Frith, who retires later this year.

The visit will start on 14 October and tickets are being sold to a "conversation with the Archbishop" event in Hereford.