Midlands Live: Breaking news and local stories

Summary

Live updates on Monday 12 August to Sunday 18 August
Click Related Stories to read updates from your area

Live Reporting

Two arrests after gunpoint carjackingpublished at 14:10 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
A man and a woman have been arrested after a carjacking at gunpoint.
A white Hyundai was stolen on Hume Street, Smethwick, on Sunday, West Midlands Police said. , external
The car was then spotted yesterday evening on the A38 in Birmingham and, as police officers pursued, hit a parked car on Aston Street.
The people in the car which was hit suffered minor injuries.
Officers arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of robbery and a 38-year-old woman on suspicion of taking a vehicle without consent and both are in custody.
Moeen to take break after England omissionpublished at 13:57 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
England and Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen Ali is to take a "short break" from cricket after his omission from the Test side.
Read More
Burning ice cream van sets fire to shoppublished at 13:51 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
An ice cream van has caught fire in Smethwick with flames spreading to a nearby shop., external
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
West Midlands Fire Service said 20 firefighters were called to Cape Hill this lunchtime.
The blaze was out by 13:00 and the buildings were being searched to check nobody was inside at the time., external
Crewe fire: Neighbours allowed home as fire crews leavepublished at 13:41 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
Neighbours are being allowed back to their homes five days after a huge fire destroyed most of a retirement complex.
Image source, Cheshire Fire Service
Residents at Beechmere supported living complex in Crewe were evacuated during the blaze on Thursday.
Cheshire Fire Service said this afternoon their operation had finished at the scene, external and road closures on Royce Close and Railton Avenue were being lifted.
Overturned lorry recovered after Branston spillagepublished at 13:27 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
BBC News Travel
Both sides of the A38 remain closed at Branston, after a lorry spillage earlier today.
Highways England said it has now started to remove the overturned vehicle and hoped to have the road reopened soon.
Image source, Highways England
Moeen takes a break from cricketpublished at 13:08 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
BBC Hereford and Worcester
Worcestershire County Cricket Club have confirmed Moeen Ali is going to take a short break from cricket.
He was left out of the England squad for the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's which is due to start tomorrow, after a disappointing performance in the first test.
Image source, Getty Images
Worcestershire head coach, Alex Gidman, said Moeen felt he needed to recharge his batteries and the club completely respects his decision.
Two games on two continents - 18 hours apartpublished at 13:07 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Chris Green's introduction to the T20 Blast with Birmingham Bears takes in games on two continents within 18 hours.
Read More
Jobless number shrinks across West Midlandspublished at 12:55 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
The number of people out of work in the West Midlands fell by 5,000 to 134,000 in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)., external
Image source, Getty Images
The unemployment rate for the region is 4.6% while the number of people in work hit 74.4%.
Across the UK, the ONS also said wage growth in the UK picked up to 3.9% across the same period.
Paedophile had Viagra, sex toys and winepublished at 12:41 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
A man has been jailed after police found him with Viagra, sex toys and wine - wearing nothing but a dressing gown - following an arrangement to meet a child for sex.
Derbyshire Police said Kenneth McKellar-Bond, 58, travelled from his home in Malvern, Worcestershire, to a hotel near East Midlands Airport on 23 November 2018.
He believed he was communicating with a Derbyshire father and expecting to meet a 12-year-old girl.
However, he was actually talking to police officers, who found him in the hotel room along with Viagra, sex toys, wine and ropes as well as gifts he had been planning on giving to his victim.
McKellar-Bond was jailed for three years at Derby Crown Court on Friday, having earlier pleaded guilty to arranging sexual activity with a child and attempted sexual communication with a child.
Image source, Derbyshire Police
Ice hockey: Patience pays off as Blaze add final centrepublished at 12:30 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
BBC Sport
Coventry Blaze have added American forward Charles Corcoran to their line-up and head coach Danny Stewart said they had to be "very patient" to land the 24-year-old.
Corcoran scored 16 goals and contributed 36 assists for the Dundee Stars last season and had signed to play for Lyon, but chose to leave because of doubts about their participation in the French league this season.
Image source, Scott Wiggins
"When Charles became available, we jumped right on it," Danny Stewart said.
Union attacks council job loss planpublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
Cutting jobs to fund children's services at a council is a 'car crash' plan, a union has warned.
The GMB says staff at Stoke-on-Trent City Council have been left shocked and stunned by the announcement which could lead to 248 jobs being cut.
The authority said the job losses would allow it to redirect £5.5m to deal with rising numbers of children in care.
The proposed job losses would include 86 vacant posts, with 75 coming from the street cleaning and parks maintenance department and 71 through a restructure of social care. The remaining posts are expected to be lost as a result of a restructure.
Quote Message
They're cutting services when, at the same time, councillors are phoning up every week asking 'why hasn't this been sorted, why hasn't that been sorted?' Adult social care is going to get cut ridiculous amounts, it's a car crash."
David Warwick, GMB Union
Community group looks to buy closed pubpublished at 11:50 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
A community group could buy a Shropshire village pub which has been closed for more than three years.
The owners of the Cleveland Arms in High Ercall moved out in June after Telford and Wrekin Council issued them with an enforcement notice, telling them to either reopen it or leave.
The pub closed in 2016 and is on the market for £300,000. The owners say they made it available to buy in April 2018, but have had no interest up until now.
A group called the Cleveland Phoenix Charity says it might apply to the Plunkett Foundation, which helps community businesses, for help in finding the money.
Missing Vietnamese girl found safepublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Linh Thi Dieu Le, who was part of a tour group, went missing a week ago.
Read More
Lorry sheds load of grain across A38published at 11:32 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
BBC News Travel
A load of grain's been spilt across the A38 in Staffordshire this morning, blocking both carriageways.
Staffordshire Police said it happened at around 11:00 and traffic was being diverted over the junction in Branston near Burton-upon-Trent, as the clear-up was expected to take a while., external
Image source, Staffordshire Police
Kenilworth: Latest designs for new poolpublished at 11:21 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Plans for a new indoor pool in Kenilworth, which would replace the Abbey Fields outdoor pool, look set to move onto the next design phase.
A Warwick District Council report, external, published this morning, rules out the idea of another outdoor pool, or vent a pool with a section which extends outside.
Image source, Warwick District Council
The report includes a number of new design-drawings from the architects and council officers say the new pool is needed, to cater for the expected population-growth by 2029.
The document, which also recommends moving ahead with plans for a new Castle Farm leisure centre, will be reviewed by councillors on 21 August.
Image source, Warwick District Council
Thunderstorms warning for Wednesdaypublished at 11:07 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Allen Cook
BBC News
Thunderstorms could cause flooding and disrupt transport in parts of the West Midlands tomorrow, the Met Office has said.
Image source, Met Office
A yellow weather warning's been issued, external covering most of the region from 14:00 until 22:00.
Worcestershire Rapids head to Derbyshire in T20published at 10:50 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
BBC Hereford and Worcester
Worcestershire Rapids will be looking to get back to winning ways this evening as they travel to Derbyshire Falcons.
Image source, Getty Images
They're currently third in the North Group but saw their last game abandoned without a ball bowled and, in the match before, lost to Leicestershire.
You can follow coverage of the game on BBC Hereford and Worcester.
Your photos: A sunny start to the daypublished at 10:35 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
BBC Weather Watchers
More rain is on its way, but we've had a bright morning and the BBC Weather Watchers have been out with their cameras.
These photos were taken near Lydbury North in Shropshire and Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire.
Image source, Ken M
Image source, Keiths
In the papers: Pub's licence revoked after violencepublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Birmingham Live
From the Birmingham Live website today:
Cricket pitch inspected after travellers set up camppublished at 10:05 British Summer Time 13 August 2019
Volunteers are inspecting the pitch at Bridgnorth Cricket Club after travellers set up camp there.
They left the site late last night after they were threatened with court action.
Image source, Google
There's a youth game due to be played tomorrow, as well as a league game against Shifnal on Saturday.