Midlands Live: Breaking news and local stories

Summary

Updates from Monday 30 September to Sunday 6 October

Live Reporting

Jones says Stoke City owners are still behind himpublished at 12:55 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Breaking
BBC Radio Stoke Sport
The Stoke City manager Nathan Jones has appeared at his regular pre-match press conference and told reporters the club's owners are still backing him.
He's without a win in his first 10 games and it's the club's worst start to a season in 30 years, but he said: "I speak to the owners all the time, they’re fantastic. Any conversations will obviously remain private, I spoke to John this morning, I know they’re fully behind me.”
Jones went on to say: "If there was no light at the end of the tunnel, I’d have gone already.”
Stoke play Swansea on Saturday.
Man charged with robberypublished at 12:53 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
A man has been charged after shop staff were threatened during a robbery in Birmingham.
Money was stolen from the One Stop shop, in Maryland Avenue, Hodge Hill, on 27 September.
The 43-year-old is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court charged with robbery, possession of an offensive weapon and driving without insurance or a licence.
National Poetry Day: Tales of elephantspublished at 12:45 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Shrewsbury poet Jean Atkin remembers unusual animal visitors to Shropshire.
Read More
Teenage driver in hospital after crash with tankerpublished at 12:34 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
A teenage driver was taken to hospital after her car collided with a tanker in Cleobury Mortimer yesterday.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it happened near the junction of the A4117 and the B4363 at 16:41, with the tanker's driver shaken but unhurt.
Image source, Google
Port Vale manager sees signs of improvementpublished at 12:17 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
BBC Radio Stoke Sport
Port Vale manager John Askey believes "the signs are there" his team can improve this season.
They're sitting in 15th place after 11 games, having won three, lost three and drawn four and are at home to struggling Morecambe at the weekend.
Image source, Getty Images
Askey said: "We've played some good football at times this season, we've just got to be a little bit more ruthless."
And he was encouraged by their recent scoring form, after eight goals in the past three games.
Stunning sunrise captured across Englandpublished at 11:59 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
A high level of cloud combined with the low sun to produce a stunning array of colours.
Read More
In the papers: Furious reaction to hospital decisionpublished at 11:55 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Shropshire Star
Here are three of the stories from the Shropshire Star today:
- Furious reaction to news that Telford A&E will be downgraded, external
- Mother thanks 'courageous' taxi driver, external
- Police officer is charged with theft, external
Man killed by falling tree near cemeterypublished at 11:39 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
The 58-year-old died at the scene after paramedics were unable to save him, police said.
Read More
Hospital funding announcement expectedpublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Local Democracy Reporting Service
An announcement on funding for the stalled Midland Metropolitan Hospital is expected this month – a meeting will be told., external
Members of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust board will be told the long-awaited decision on the stalled £475m project is likely to happen in the next few weeks.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of the trust, has previously warned any delay beyond October would create further problems and increase the costs of the super hospital, work on which stopped when construction firm Carillion went bust.
Image source, LDRS
The announcement will come after 18 months of lobbying by health bosses, both Sandwell and Birmingham councils and NHS trade unions.
Warley Labour MP John Spellar is urging the the government to sign off on a deal with Balfour Beatty Ltd to restart construction work in December.
He said the hospital was "desperately needed".
In the papers: Homes evacuated after collisionpublished at 11:23 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Coventry Live
Some of the Coventry Live headlines today include:
- Homes evacuated after horrific collision, external
- Foleshill Road crash: Car ends up in takeaway, external
- Power cut hits homes in Nuneaton, external
Flood warnings remain but river levels fallingpublished at 11:05 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Three flood warnings, external remain in Shropshire, but the Environment Agency says river levels have peaked now and are expected to start falling.
The warnings cover the rivers Vrnwy in the north of the county and the Severn in Shrewsbury, but there are also lesser, flood alerts in place around the region.
The Environment Agency has warned that with more heavy rain forecast for the weekend, there could be more flooding to come.
Recruitment event held for former Thomas Cook employeespublished at 10:51 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Former Thomas Cook staff are being urged to attend a recruitment event at Birmingham Airport today., external
Jet 2 has organised the event after the collapse of its former rival firm.
It's specifically "for Thomas Cook colleagues who have been impacted".
About 9,000 staff in the UK were left jobless when the business failed to secure a last-ditch rescue deal.
A petition with 5,000 signatures was handed into Downing Street on Wednesday demanding answers about the company's collapse.
The event is on until 15:00 at Arden Hotel and Leisure Club, Coventry Road, Bickenhill.
Media caption,
Thomas Cook employees hand petition to Parliament
Long delays on M6published at 10:37 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
BBC News Travel
There's currently five miles of queuing traffic on the M6 northbound in Warwickshire.
A three-car crash closed a lane from J3 to J3a, but it has since reopened.
Traffic remains slow to clear heading through an area with roadworks.
One taken to hospital after restaurant crashpublished at 10:23 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
One man has been taken to hospital after a car was involved in a crash with a van and ended up ploughing into a Coventry restaurant.
The van driver, a man in his 30s, was taken to University Hospital in the city after the collision at 06:15, said the ambulance service.
Officers are trying the trace the driver of the other vehicle, said West Midlands Police.
Man dies after being struck by falling treepublished at 10:10 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
A 58-year-old man has died in Stafford after being stuck by a falling tree.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 06:45 to Eccleshall Road to reports of a man in cardiac arrest on the Isabel Trail footpath.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said a crew used a chainsaw to cut away the tree, but paramedics were unable to save him.
Homes evacuated after crash causes gas leakpublished at 10:00 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
A number of homes were evacuated after a crash ruptured a gas line in Coventry on Wednesday night.
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
The two cars crashed at the corner of Longford Road and Oakmoor Road shortly after 22:30.
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
The passenger of one car, in his 20s, had to be cut free and was taken to hospital suffering potentially serious injuries, said the ambulance service.
The driver and passenger of the second car were also taken to hospital.
Hospital reorganisation plans approved by health secretarypublished at 09:42 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
Shropshire's hospital reorganisation plans are to go ahead after receiving the backing of Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
It means the county's specialist women and children's unit will move from the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Telford will become a centre for planned operations and care and will have a reduced accident and emergency department.
The announcement has been welcomed by some local politicians, but the Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Council Shaun Davies opposes the plans and said he was looking at challenging the decision in the courts.
Industrial unit firepublished at 09:23 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
The fire service has shared some images from the scene of last night's fire at an industrial unit in Halesowen.
Image source, West Midland Fire Service
Image source, West Midlands Fire Service
Crews were called to Lyde Lane in Cradley shortly before 19:00 on Wednesday and managed to stop the blaze from spreading.
Car crashes into restaurantpublished at 09:08 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
A car has crashed into the front of a restaurant in Coventry.
Image source, Allan Dalton
Image source, Allan Dalton
The crash happened at the junction of Foleshill Road and Station Street.
The road is partially blocked between Livingstone Road and Blackwell Road.
We'll bring you more information when we have it.
Your pictures: Red sky in the morningpublished at 09:05 British Summer Time 3 October 2019
BBC Weather Watchers
BBC Weather Watchers have been up early capturing some stunning images of the sunrise.
These were taken by Dammo in Birmingham, Tinajay in Stoke-on-Trent and Sutton Walker in Sutton Coldfield.
Image source, Dammo
Image source, Tinajay
Image source, Sutton Walker