BBC Business News

About 4,500 staff in 153 Tesco Metro stores are set to lose their jobs in the latest round of redundancies at the UK's biggest supermarket, Tesco has announced.

BBC Sport

Australia are on the brink of winning the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.

England are 136-9 after collapsing on the fifth day of the Test in Birmingham.

It will be Australia's first win at Edgbaston since 2001 and would go a little way to avenging their thrashing in the World Cup at the hands of England.

A woman conceived by rape wants her father brought to justice in a so-called "victimless prosecution".

Anti-racism charity Kick It Out says it is "appalled" after four alleged incidents of racist abuse in EFL games.

Daniel O'Sullivan attacked police dog Audi in a "plainly premeditated" attack, the judge said.

The family of a man who died in a crash in Walsall say he was "taken so cruelly, our hearts are broken".

Richard Cheshire, 37, was crossing Trinity Way on Saturday when he was hit by a silver Renault Clio and died at the scene, said West Midlands Police., external

Image source, West Midlands Police

A 42-year-old from Smethwick has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He's due before Walsall and Aldridge Magistrates' Court today.

Andy Webster severed his arm while baling hay, but his friends are determined to help him.

Long queues are now building up on the M6 J16-J15 due to the lorry fire we reported earlier.

Two lanes are closed and tailbacks are now stretching 10 miles southbound.

It's not just sheep rustling or equipment thefts driving up the costs of rural crime.

Famers' fields are often a magnet for fly-tipping - sometimes on an "industrial" scale.

Rupert Inkpen, vice chairman of Warwickshire NFU, said any rubbish dumped on his land has to cleared at his own expense.

"The worst thing is we're not very well policed in the countryside, the response times are a lot slower - they can't have an officer on every corner."

The cost of rural crime in the Midlands is the highest in the country, according to new figures published by NFU Mutual.

It rose by almost £1m to £9.8m last year in the region - a 10% rise.

Warwickshire saw the highest figures in the West Midlands with rural crime costing just over £1.4m in 2018 - up from a shade over £1m the year before.

Staffordshire saw the biggest percentage rise - a 48.5% increase to £1.36m.

Worcestershire, however, saw a 2.6% drop in 2018.

NFU Mutual's figures reveal rural crime cost the UK £50m in 2018 - an increase of 12%

Allen Cook
BBC News

Fire crews from the West Midlands who are part of the team trying to stop a dam bursting in Derbyshire are expected to stay at the scene until at least tomorrow, a fire service has said.

Image source, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service

They're aiding colleagues to pump water out of the reservoir at Whaley Bridge because of fears the dam wall could collapse and flood the town.

Hereford and Worcester Fire Service has sent crews to help and said it expects them to be in the county, external "until at least Tuesday".

CCTV images have been released in connection with the break-in at a veterinary clinic.

BBC News Travel

Two lanes are shut on the M6 this afternoon due to a lorry fire.

Highways England said the closures were between J16 and J15 on the southbound side, near Stoke-on-Trent., external

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

A construction firm building a hotel and apartments in Stoke-on-Trent has gone into administration, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Grant Thornton said it had been appointed as administrators to Pochin's Ltd, which is based in Middlewich, Cheshire and employs about 120 staff.

The administrators said the family-owned firm had struggled from the financial pressures of previous contracts and even fresh injections of cash couldn't save it.

Developers Genr8, which employed Pochin's to build the £20m Hilton Garden Inn and 151 apartments in Hanley, had earlier said it would still look to complete the project as planned.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• New £97.1m hospital facility planned, external
• Cocaine smuggler caught after arriving with 'Charlie Sport' bag, external
• Hammer-wielding gang threaten Co-op staff in botched cash machine raid, external

BBC News Travel

There are long queues on the A50 in Staffordshire as the road has closed due to a police incident.

The route's shut in both directions from the roundabouts linking to the A515 and congestion is back to the McDonalds roundabout near Uttoxeter.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

Work's been halted on building a new hotel and apartments in Stoke-on-Trent today as building firm Pochin's Ltd has called a staff meeting, amid reports in some newspapers that it is facing financial problems.

The £20m Hilton Garden Inn was expected to open later this year in Hanley, as part of a wider £170m scheme, external including offices and 151 apartments.

This morning, workers turning up at the Smithfield site told BBC Radio Stoke they were stopped from going into the area.

The firm hasn't commented on today's stoppage but it was working for developer Genr8 which said it understood a staff meeting was being held at Pochin's head office in Middlewich today.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

News that 20 hospitals in England are to get an extra £850m has been met with disappointment from one MP as her county's missed out.

Image source, Google

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making the announcement today as part of NHS spending pledges totalling £1.8bn.

But, while the 20 include Hereford County Hospital, there's nothing for Worcestershire's hospitals.

Redditch's Conservative MP Rachel Maclean's said the area needs more funding as she believes the Worcestershire Royal A&E is "not fit" for the area's population.

Mr Johnson said the new money - less than 1% of the annual NHS budget - would mean "more beds, new wards, and extra life-saving equipment".

Three hospitals in the West Midlands are set to receive a slice of £850m - extra funding announced by the government for new equipment and upgrades to outdated facilities.

Image source, Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will formally announce the plans - part of NHS spending pledges totalling £1.8bn - at a Lincolnshire hospital later.

Among 20 NHS trust recipients are:

• University Hospitals Birmingham - £97.1m to provide a new purpose-built hospital facility replacing outdated outpatient, treatment and diagnostic accommodation

• University Hospitals of North Midlands- £17.6m for three new modern wards to improve capacity in Stoke, delivering approximately 84 beds for this winter

• Wye Valley- £23.6m to provide new hospital wards in Hereford, providing 72 beds

But a healthcare charity says the money risks being little more than a "drop in the ocean".

Riyah Collins
BBC News

A man's been jailed after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to a police dog under new legislation in the UK.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Audi (pictured) suffered a stab wound to his head in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent last month.

Dan O'Sullivan, 29, from the Litherland area of Liverpool, was the first person to be charged under the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019 since Finn's Law was introduced, police have previously said.

Today, he also pleaded guilty to five counts of assaulting police officers and two counts of possession of offensive weapons but pleaded not guilty to affray.

He was jailed for 21 months.