A woman accused of murdering her two daughters has told a court she was not responsible for their deaths.

Image source, Other

Louise Porton, 23, of Skiddaw, Rugby, denies murdering Lexi Draper, three, and Scarlett Vaughan, 17 months, who died 18 days apart last year.

Birmingham Crown Court heard Ms Porton describe how she loved them both, saying "they were funny, always making me laugh".

During her evidence, Ms Porton said she had loved both children and answered "No" when asked if she regretted having either of her daughters.

The girls had symptoms consistent with deliberate airway obstruction, the jury has previously heard.

The trial continues.

A fire involving two acetylene gas cylinders at a Worcestershire college has been extinguished, said the fire service.

A police cordon set up around Heart of Worcester College has been lifted, with just one street remaining closed.

Image source, West Mercia Police

The fire service is still at the scene overseeing the tanks, which are currently cooling.

He has been banned from keeping animals for a decade over the dog's suffering.

Worcestershire trail Gloucestershire by 61 runs at lunch on the third day of their County Championship match in Cheltenham.

Image source, Getty Images

The visitors, who began the day on 232-6, were dismissed for 293, in reply to the home side's first innings total of 354.

Ross Whiteley (pictured) made 88 yesterday and Brett D'Oliveira was dismissed for 68.

Craig Fallon, 36, was found dead in woods about three miles away from his home in Telford.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

Seven properties have been seized in Solihull in the past few months as part of a continued crackdown on social housing fraud.

The council’s audit committee heard that 32 investigations have been completed since April.

Based on government figures, it is estimated that the houses “recovered” have saved in the region of £651,000.

Separately, around 106 “right to buy” applications are being looked into.

The details were included in a report which summarised the counter-fraud activity that had been carried out since the start of the new financial year

Two acetylene gas cylinders have caught fire at a college in Worcetershire.

The area was evacuated and an exclusion zone set up at Heart of Worceter College, said the fire service.

About 20 firefighters are currently at the scene, along with police officers.

Scattered thunderstorms moving north tonight through the West Midlands could lead to some power cuts and travel delays, the Met Office is warning.

Although some places will miss the thunderstorms altogether, where they do occur there is the potential for frequent lightning, hail and gusty winds.

Police say firearms stolen during the break-ins have been sold on to criminal gangs.

The new West Bromwich Albion signing Semi Ajayi says joining the club is a huge opportunity, but he wants to prove he can be a first-team regular in a top team in the Championship.

Image source, West Bromwich Albion

The club signed the defender from Rotherham United on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.

The 25-year-old made 108 appearances for the Millers following a move from Cardiff in July 2017, helping them win promotion to the Championship.

"It's a great opportunity for me," the Nigeria international said., external

"I want to play at the highest level and I have joined a club with the ambition to get there."

Speed restrictions have been put in place on Chiltern Railways services due to the heat.

Travellers are being warned journeys are expected to take longer than normal.

Two people have been arrested after a man was stabbed in the buttocks at Stoke-on-Trent railway station.

Image source, Google

The man was taken to hospital and treated for three stab wounds after the incident shortly after 17:00 on 18 July.

He's since been discharged from hospital, said British Transport Police.

Two men arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm have been released on police bail.

The parks and green spaces in Birmingham have a value of £11bn, a report has concluded., external

Image source, Birmingham City Council

An academic study, led by Birmingham City Council and the Consultancy for Environmental Economics & Policy, reached the conclusion.

The total health benefits of parks and allotments have been valued at nearly £4.1bn.

Nearly 7,300 council-managed allotments are estimated to produce 2.9 tonnes of food each year with a value of approximately £4.3m, the report said.

Councillor John O’Shea, cabinet member for street scene and parks at the authority, said: "What this report does is methodically look at what value they bring from a health, well-being and economic perspective, with staggering positive conclusions."

Work has started on a new £9m hub supporting defence and security sector businesses in Herefordshire.

Image source, Associated Architects

The new Midlands Centre for Cyber Security is being constructed on Hereford’s Skylon Park, the UK’s only Enterprise Zone with a dedicated defence and security sector focus.

Image source, Associated Architects

The project is a joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council and part-funded by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.

Image source, Associated Architects

Two pedestrians were seriously injured after a crash involving up to six vehicles in Hay Mills, Birmingham, on Monday night.

It's thought a red Vauxhall Corsa lost control and crashed with several other vehicles on Berkley Road East just before 20:00.

The driver of the car was also taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition, said West Midlands Police.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

BBC WM Sport

The manager of Wolves' Europa League opponents, Crusaders, says this will be the biggest challenge they've faced in their European matches in recent years.

Image source, Reuters

Wolves host Crusaders in their second round qualifier on Thursday before the return leg on 1 August.

Stephen Baxter has been in charge of the team from Belfast for 14 years, and this is the tenth time he's led them into European football.

He says to take on opponents from the Premier League is an exciting but very challenging prospect.

Wolves will play Pyunik of Armenia or Czech Republic side Jablonec in the Europa League third qualifying round if they beat the Northern Ireland side.

A revolutionary "factory in a box" has been unveiled by the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre.

Housed in a shipping container, it can be deployed anywhere and programmed to make anything.

With super-fast data transmission, it can be controlled from anywhere in the world too.

Express and Star

Some of the early headlines on the Express and Star website are:

• Jail for cricket bat and hockey stick attack family, external
• £600k project aims to tackle youth crime with sport projects, external
• Bishop of Dudley bids fond farewell with service, external

The health service is warning people to stay hydrated and use sunscreen during the hot weather expected this week.

The south of England will see the hottest temperatures, but in the West Midlands we're still likely to see it reach 30C in the next few days and even higher in some areas.

The NHS is advising those who are more vulnerable such as the very young and the elderly, to avoid being exposed to the sun for long periods.

BBC News Travel

There's seven miles of queuing traffic on the M6 southbound in the West Midlands.

One lane is closed from J9 to J8 after an oil spillage from an earlier broken down tanker.

Emergency repairs are taking place.