The chair of the Meriden Conservative Association has described outgoing MP Dame Caroline Spelman as a "dedicated and highly committed MP" who had "gone the extra mile" for her constituents.

Dame Caroline, who has served as an MP for 22 years, announced this morning she would step down from Parliament after voting against the government in a key vote on Wednesday designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Ian Court, chair of the local party association, said: "She has increased her majority in each of the last six elections which is testimony to her hard work representing the interests of Meriden and supporting the local community."

The Bishop of Bristol also paid tribute.

Very Revd Vivienne Faull tweeted, external the MP had worked with "courage, determination and extraordinary grace" and had been "a model of how women can lead in turbulent times".

The MP for Meriden is patron of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and has been serving as the Second Church Estates Commissioner - answering questions from MPs on Church of England matter.

How to follow the new Women's Super League season across BBC TV, radio, online and the BBC Sport app.

BBC News Travel

Trains are being delayed between Kidderminster and Droitwich Spa due to a fault with the signalling system.

National Rail Enquiries says services could be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes and it expects disruption to last until at least 19:00., external

Four life-sized murals of Peaky Blinders characters have been stolen from a wall in Willenhall.

The murals, which cost £800, were commissioned by local businessman Harry Constable, who mounted them on the outside of his factory wall "to brighten the place up a bit".

Image source, Harry Constable

Image source, Harry Constable

"They'd become a bit of a talking point," Mr Constable said, "with people turning up to take selfies with them.

"I made sure they were put up with security screws, to try and make sure they were safe, but my daughter went down on Wednesday morning to find they'd gone."

The theft, which took place some time on Tuesday night from the wall on Orchard Road, has been reported to police.

"I shall get around to replacing them," he said, "but at the end of the day it comes out of my pension."

Hereford Times

The Hereford Times' top stories today include:

• Dead rat halted bottling at Hereford dairy, external
• Threatened village pub saved from developers, external
• Motorists met with road closure disruption, external

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Five possible designs have been revealed for Herefordshire's new flag.

Campaigners said the county was one of only two in England not to have a flag.

Image source, The Herefordshire Flag Committee

Voting started today on which of them will become the final version after The Herefordshire Flag Committee decided on the contenders. , external

Anyone aged five years or older in the county can vote until 30 September.

A report is unable to rule out that shortcomings contributed to one of the five deaths.

More potholes are going to be repaired at night in Shropshire.

Image source, Shropshire Council

A new method using a new material called Texpatch is much quieter, Shropshire Council said, after trials in Whitchurch and Market Drayton last month. , external

Currently, just 20 potholes are repaired at night each week, but the local authority reckons it could increase that to 40 every night.

Six BBC Sport pundits predict who will win the Women's Super League and pick their top four.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

It will be a dry night with some clear spells and lows of 9C (48F).

Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent

Neighbours have described the discovery of two bodies inside a house in Burton-upon-Trent as "very, very shocking".

Image source, SnapperSK

The 32-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were found by Staffordshire Police last night on Henhurst Hill and their deaths are being treated as unexplained.

A two-year-old child found "unharmed" inside the property was being cared for by relatives, officers added.

One resident told the BBC "it's a complete shock, I can't really get it into my head at the moment".

Coventry Live

Some of the Coventry Live headlines today are:

• Old hospital site transformed for student accommodation, external
• Rail delays between Coventry and Rugby, external
• Man stabbed with screwdriver in attempted robbery, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

More tests may have to be carried out on a fly-over in Stoke-on-Trent, which has been shut since the start of July after a large hole appeared in the carriageway.

Image source, Google

A faulty joint was discovered on the A53 Festival Park flyover, in Etruria, on 9 July, external.

Repair works were carried out but contractors then took samples from the bridge's concrete to try and work out why the hole had opened up in the first place.

The council says the results are now being analysed by an expert and could mean either further repair works starting or more tests having to be made on other parts of the bridge.

It means the local authority can't say when the fly-over will reopen.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

The prime minister's being urged not to allow 21 rebel Tory MPs back into the Conservative Party.

Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski told the BBC he believed the group - which includes former members of the cabinet like Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Justine Greening and Ken Clarke - had lost the confidence of their local Conservative associations.

The 21, who also include Midlands MPs Margot James and Antoinette Sandbach, lost the party's whip, expelling them from the parliamentary party, after they voted against the government in a key ballot on Tuesday.

Mr Kawczynski told BBC Politics Live "I said to the prime minister yesterday, I very much hope that he will stand by his decision not to back off and not to restore the whip."

That was despite being booed by Tory MPs for similar comments he made at a party meeting last night.

BBC News Travel

A broken-down train between Coventry and Canley is causing disruption to rail services.

Trains may be delayed by up to 30 minutes or cancelled until 15:00 said National Rail.

A two-year-old child also inside the property is being cared for by relatives, police say.

CCTV images have been released of a man officers would like to speak to in connection with a sexual assault.

Image source, West Midlands Police

A woman was attacked while walking down a footpath in the Foleshill area of Coventry.

The incident happened at about 16:00 on 26 June, said West Midlands Police.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Thirty weeks of roadworks are starting today as part of a scheme in Stoke-on-Trent to keep homes and businesses warm by using underground heat., external

Image source, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Pipes will be installed under College Road by the city council so geothermal energy can be supplied to companies at first and then flats and houses in the future.

During the works, the route will be turned into a one-way street.

Two men have been arrested after an imitation handgun was produced during an argument.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Firearms officers were called by security guards at a nightclub just after 01:00 to reports of a man having produced a pistol from his back pocket.

Officers found one of them concealing the imitation BB gun as they walked along Hurst Street.

They were arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, said West Midlands Police.

The two aged 17 and 19 remain in police custody.

Shropshire Star

The Shropshire Star's headlines today include:

• Teenage motorcyclist airlifted to hospital after Oswestry crash, external
• Electricity transformer fire causes power cut near Much Wenlock, external
• Burglars take car and equestrian equipment from address near Market Drayton, external