Tributes have been paid to a man who died in a crash between a car and an ambulance near Ross-on-Wye.

Andy Ralph, 61, from Malvern, known to his friends as Rabbit, was a passenger in a car which was involved in a crash on the A49 outside Pengethley Garden Centre in Peterstow on Sunday. The driver of the car also died at the scene.

Image source, Family photo

A statement from Mr Ralph's family said he was "a family man who had been around transport his entire life as a professional HGV driver".

It added: "Andy loved all things vintage and always made time for his family and friends with a smile and a chat. We will miss him dearly."

The ambulance was not responding to a 999 call at the time of the collision.

Nick Southall
Journalist, BBC Shropshire

Agencies involved in the case of a south Shropshire schoolboy who was killed by his mother are to give evidence at the boy's inquest.

They'll be asked what, if anything, could have been done differently, in the case of seven-year-old Archie Spriggs, who was the subject of a custody battle between his parents.

Image source, Family photo

Archie's father believes the authorities should have taken more notice of his concerns and should have paid more attention to him, instead of the boy's mother, Lesley Speed.

She was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 18 years after being convicted of murdering Archie at their home at Wall-under-Heywood, near Church Stretton, two years ago.

During a pre-inquest review hearing, the Shropshire coroner John Ellery said up to 29 witnesses - including the boy's school, the police, his doctor and social-services - will give evidence during the two week inquest starting on 11 November.

A man has been treated for smoke inhalation after a house fire in Staffordshire.

Crews were called to the property off Smithpool Road, Fenton, shortly after 13:30.

The fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom, the fire service said.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of trying to break into ticket machines in a Congleton car park.

Officers were called out to the West Street car park in the early hours of yesterday morning and found one man hiding under a car and the other in undergrowth.

Image source, Google

The men, aged 32 and 45, have been released while inquiries continue.

A man has been arrested after a van crashed with two police cars in Coventry.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

Officers were responding to a report the van had been stolen from Southam, Warwickshire Police said.

The vehicle was tracked to an industrial estate in Binley where it failed to stop for police, before crashing with two police cars.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

Two officers suffered minor injuries.

The driver, a 27-year-old of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving and failing to stop.

The transport body Midlands Connect is asking the government for £596m for 11 road schemes, external, including eight in the West Midlands.

Among the schemes are proposals to create a new link between Telford and the M54, proposed improvements to the A38 near Bromsgrove and to the A454 between Wolverhampton and East Park Gateway.

There is also a scheme to reduce congestion in Rugby town centre.

Image source, Google

The eight West Midlands projects also include the Hereford Bypass, despite Herefordshire Council deciding to review the proposals.

And there are schemes put forward for the Sandwell, Worcestershire, Solihull and Stoke-on-Trent local authority areas.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

It should be a mainly dry night with some cloud and lows of 11C (52F).

West Brom have signed veteran goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi on a deal until the end of the season.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans for 24 new business units just outside Newport have been approved by Telford and Wrekin councillors.

They will form the first phase of the authority's own 25-acre Newport Innovation Park, near the meeting of the A41 and A518.

Image source, Telford and Wrekin Council

Outline planning consent has also been granted for two more phases, which would bring 19 larger buildings.

Applications for full planning permission for those areas will come at a later date, the authority said.

Coventry City midfielder Jordan Shipley signs a new contract with the Sky Blues until the summer of 2021.

Facebook

A mother who has filled her house with second-hand school uniforms to give to struggling families in Birmingham has drawn praise on Facebook.

Kristina Murphy started the Rubery Schools Community Swap Shop, external in November and has delivered 300 uniforms so far.

Image source, Rubery Schools Community Swop Shop

On the BBC Midlands Facebook page, Cheryl Thorpe wrote, external: "I think she is doing a brilliant thing, so many families will benefit from this, keep up the fab work."

Rob Atkins was concerned, external Kristina had had to step in: "It's disgusting how much they cost, lots of schools use school uniform as a revenue stream."

While Annette Cooper wanted to flag up other projects, external: "I believe there’s a similar scheme in Telford. Thanks to the hard work of the food bank!"

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

An application for new houses on green space in Coventry has been turned down after a local campaign.

Image source, Google

The plans for 14 homes on vacant land on Park Hill Lane, in Allesley, just behind the A45, consisted of eight four-bed and six three-bed properties.

Amid a local campaign to halt the bid, Coventry council’s planning department has this month refused plans, branding it as "inappropriate development" of green space.

The land acts as a "significant green buffer" between residential homes and the A45, the council’s head of planning Tracy Miller said.

Nicola Spragg's son Frazer found it hard to believe Mata had returned home after so long.

The £2.5m regeneration of Bridgnorth station means the Severn Valley Railway will be able to make more use of it this Christmas.

For the first time in 40 years it will start its Santa Specials from the station, as well as its station in Kidderminster.

It said around 35,000 people are expected to ride on the trains this winter.

Image source, Severn Valley Railway

The historic railway also plans to launch a new service this winter, called Steam in Lights.

It said it would be aimed at older passengers and would be a 90-minute illuminated evening journey, with activities to do along the way.

Image source, Severn Valley Railway

Fines worth a total of £2,800 are to be paid to people after Birmingham's bin collection service was criticised in a report.

Bin collection services in Birmingham have been criticised in a report by the Local Government Ombudsman.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report details how refuse collectors repeatedly failed to collect waste.

In one case, the council must pay £300 compensation to a woman who hasn't had a collection since September 2018, due to a change in routes.

For 10 of the 17 residents highlighted in the report the council will put in place a three-month period of monitoring to ensure waste collections are made on scheduled days.

The latest strikes and industrial action involving Birmingham bin workers have cost the council more than £5.8m.

Birmingham City Council has apologised to those who complained.

It says the authority is making progress and since the issues were raised they've agreed to invest nearly £12m into new vehicles to improve round reliability.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Stoke City manager Nathan Jones says he still has full belief that he can turn the team's form around.

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke are yet to win in the league this season and Jones said the team "haven't got what we've deserved".

The team go to Birmingham on Saturday where they aim to climb off the bottom of the Championship table.

TV drama Peaky Blinders may have inspired some of the most popular baby names in England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

Image source, Caryn Mandabach / Tiger Aspect / BBC

Arthur entered the top 10 for boys for the first time since the 1920s, with Ada in the top 100 girls' names for the first time in a century.

The ONS said girls named Alexa also halved in a year, possibly due to potential confusion with Amazon's Echo.

Oliver and Olivia retained the number one spots.

You can read more on the story here.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Shropshire Council treats a lower percentage of its roads during the winter than other comparable authorities, a report has revealed.

Research for the authority's place overview committee said last winter it put grit down on 28% of the roads in its area, compared to the average of 35% for other similar councils.

Image source, Shropshire Council

The interim assistant director of infrastructure and communities, Steve Brown, said a budget of £1.4m had been set aside this year and that should be "sufficient to support the winter service".

Although he pointed out that money would also be spent on "other severe weather events, such as intense rainfall, localised flooding, fallen trees".

An injunction that restrains people from driving on and setting up encampments at six specific sites in Walsall has been granted.

Image source, Google

The order, which will protect more than 30 pieces of land, will help achieve a "significant reduction" in anti-social behaviour in the borough caused by unauthorised encampments, the council said.

The sites include:

• Bloxwich Active Living Centre with Leamore Park
• George Rose Park
• Brownhills Common with Hollands Park
• Wyrley Common
• Mallory Crescent
• Rushall Playing Fields

Fire crews are to remain at the scene of a fire in a flat on the seventh floor of a block of flats in Birmingham "for some time".

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

Crews were called earlier to Saxelby House on Kimpton Close, in the Druids Heath area of the city.

"Quick and assertive firefighting brought this fire in a bedroom to a prompt end," said West Midlands Fire Service.