Almost 140 former Thomas Cook stores have now reopened, Hays Travel says, with more than 1,900 jobs offered to ex Thomas Cook staff.

Thousands of people lost their jobs when the travel giant collapsed last month, ending 178 years of business. It also left 150,000 tourists stranded and prompted the biggest ever peacetime repatriation by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Image source, Getty images

In the aftermath, Hays Travel bought all 555 Thomas Cook high street stores and pledged to reopen many of them.

Stores in Coventry Cannon Park, Stourbridge and Tamworth are among the first 138 to reopen across the UK, with others in the West Midlands expected to follow.

Hereford Times

The Hereford Times is covering these stories today:

• Hereford workers beaten by thugs in Exeter, external
• Archbishop of Canterbury starts visit to Herefordshire, external
• Rider knocked off bicycle in Hereford, external

A man has died following a crash in Shropshire in which two other people also lost their lives. , external

Image source, Google

The collision was on Friday night on the A5 in West Felton, near Oswestry, and involved a blue Nissan and a silver Ford Mondeo, West Mercia Police said.

A 75-year-old man who was behind the wheel of the Mondeo and a 73-year-old woman who was a passenger, both from Oswestry, died at the scene.

Officers said the Nissan's driver, a 24-year-old man, also from the town, has since died in hospital.

Homes, businesses and a school have been flooded after a water main burst in Tipton.

Water supplies in the area around Park Lane West are also affected and the road is currently closed near Baker Street and Manor Road.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

About 30 firefighters are at the scene "working with those affected to ensure their safety" said the fire service.

A technical rescue unit and high volume pumping unit are also en route, it added.

South Staffs Water has apologised to customers affected by the burst main which happened shortly before 14:00.

It said it's working to get supplies back on.

Joanne Writtle
BBC Midlands Today

"Untrue allegations" - described as "hurtful" and "harmful" - about what a Birmingham school was teaching were being made on social media in an "inflammatory way", a court has heard.

A temporary injunction against protests outside the school gates at Anderton Primary School in Birmingham was granted by the High Court and Birmingham City Council is making an application for it to be made permanent.

Image source, Protesters

Opening the case at Birmingham's Priory Courts, Jonathan Manning QC for Birmingham City Council told the court claims alleging that a convicted paedophile was invited into the school to teach the students about sex had been made by protesters.

There have also been untrue allegations, the court heard, the school was making boys dress as girls and boys wear pink.

Earlier this month, a report by the government's independent Commissioner for Countering Extremism, external also described some of the claims made on WhatsApp to support protesters in Birmingham as "false rumours" and "hateful extremism".

During today's hearing, Mr Manning also referred to an incident in which the MP Jess Phillips was involved in an altercation with the protesters outside school. She was asked by a police officer, the court heard, if she had a lift home as he was genuinely concerned for her safety - although no direct threats had been made.

The hearing is expected to last until Friday.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A man's been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, external after a woman suffered knife wounds this morning.

She was being threatened with a knife on Hadley Road, Telford, Shropshire, at about 06:15, West Mercia Police said.

The woman's injuries aren't thought to be life-threatening and she's getting hospital treatment.

The 60-year-old man is still in custody.

Lee Blakeman
BBC Radio Stoke

Port Vale's away form has to improve if the team's to build on their promising start to the season, manager John Askey says.

Image source, Getty Images

So far this season, the Vale are unbeaten at Vale Park, a record which includes all four of their wins.

But they are 13th in League Two and defeat at Macclesfield on Saturday was their fourth loss on the road.

A race in Peterborough was cancelled and another in Birmingham shortened amid security concerns.

The difference between the theory and the stark reality of the Queen's Speech 2019.

One man says he is still having nightmares after plunging into the canal in Walsall with his son.

Worcester News

The Worcester News' headlines today include:

• Man is killed in motorbike crash on A449 , external
• Resident hopes bin bag dumping that attracted rats in Malvern will be deterred, external
• Unconventional solar panel homes plan set for green light, external

Salih Khater used his vehicle to try to kill people outside Parliament before crashing into barriers.

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

The future of an old supermarket site and disused council offices in Staffordshire could soon be clearer after the local authority secured £420,000 from a government fund.

Image source, Google

The old Sainsbury's building on Ryecroft in Newcastle-under-Lyme was demolished five years ago.

The borough council then moved out of its nearby offices in 2018 and now wants to develop both sites.

In September, the government said historic shopping centres would benefit from a £95m regeneration fund.

The council has now revealed it's planning to use the cash to look into potential options for the Ryecroft area and to decide how to safely demolish their old offices., external

Allen Cook
BBC News

Machetes, guns, drugs and cash have been seized by police in a week-long county lines crackdown across Shropshire.

Image source, West Mercia Police

The crime sees gangs using dedicated phone lines and couriers to move drugs from cities to smaller towns.

West Mercia Police said five houses had been searched and 14 people arrested over the seven days in the county., external

Image source, West Mercia Police

As well as "large quantities" of Class A and B drugs, external, the force said it had also sezied £14,500 in cash.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Some of today's stories from the Local Democracy Reporting Service in the West Midlands include:

• A pub on a Wolverhampton housing estate has installed barriers on its car park to prevent drivers in stolen cars using it to access council-owned land at the rear, where vehicles have then been stripped and set on fire.
• A £5.6m overspend on a key education budget in Solihull poses an “enormous financial risk” to the council, one of its most senior officers has warned.
• A new roundabout will be created on one of Solihull’s main routes as part of the High Speed 2 rail development.

Mujdat Altuntas is to spend about five years in prison, with the rest of his sentence served on licence.

Shropshire Star

A few of the stories making the headlines in today's Shropshire Star:

• Police swarm Telford estate after reports of stabbing, external
• Telford A&E Local will only open for 'core hours', external
• Japan typhoon has Shropshire rugby fans locked down, external

Joanne Writtle
BBC Midlands Today

A judge is hearing evidence from protesters who are challenging a ban on demonstrations outside a school in Birmingham.

An injunction's in place preventing protests outside the school gates at Anderton Park School against teaching about same sex relationships.

The protesters claim the injunction is illegal and they were forced to gather outside the school "as there was no other choice".

Giving evidence for the city council Jonathan Manning QC said despite the ban there had been successful attempts to disturb teaching at the school by creating noise - meaning nursery children were unable to use the playground.

He also said that protesters had continued to make untrue allegations about what the school was teaching in "inflammatory" posts on social media.

Speaking outside the court one protester named on the injunction, Shakeel Afsar, said he was "hoping for justice".

He claimed they'd been forced to protest after being denied the chance to speak to the school about the issue.

The school's head teacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson is expected to give evidence this afternoon.

Crewe Alexandra majority shareholder Norman Hassall agrees to sell his stake in the club to unnamed local investors.

Another woman has suffered a suspected heart attack in a spate of Black Country incidents.