BBC News Channel

An organisation representing those tasked with making sure people can vote up and down the country says an election so close to Christmas will pose its own problems.

The country is expected to go to the polls on 12 December in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock.

It will be the first December general election in nearly a century and making sure it happens on the ground is no easy feat.

Peter Stanyon, the chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, saidthere was "absolutely" a risk some potential polling venues could be booked up for Christmas events.

"For publicly-maintained buildings, the returning officers have a right to use those buildings so they can actually demand the use of those premises," he says.

"But clearly for private premises there will be other events actually in place: plays, parties and the like which make life an awful lot more difficult."

It's going to be darker and colder than a May election, so temporary lighting or heating may also be needed, he adds.

League Two leaders Crewe Alexandra sign centre-back Christian Mbulu on a deal described by the club as "short-term".

A CCTV image has been released by police, external after valuables were stolen from a terminally ill man's hospital bed.

Image source, West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said it's believed a woman turned up at New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, on 26 August, claiming to be his daughter.

She left with his wallet, bank cards and house keys.

Officers said the mistake only came to light when the real daughter visited him a few weeks later. The man's since died.

Police said they wanted to speak to the woman in the photo in connection with the theft.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A man's been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a woman died in a house fire., external

The body of Sylvia Griffiths, 83, was found at her home on Windmill Lane, Croxton, near Eccleshall, Staffordshire, on Sunday.

Staffordshire Police said the man had been released under investigation while officers investigated the circumstances around the blaze.

Azra Williams was on her phone in her car when she hit another car, killing passenger Amarjit Gill.

Robert Trigg
BBC WM

A judge has extended a ban on "street cruising" in Birmingham until 2022.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The injunction means drivers and those organising or attending such events can be prosecuted, which could lead to fines or jail terms.

Car cruising meetings can attract hundreds of vehicles and spectators, and some have been accused of leading to drivers racing or showing off on public roads.

Birmingham City Council first successfully applied for the ban in 2016 but it was due to end this month., external

The local authority says 30 people have been arrested under the order over the past three years.

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen has admitted players in the side, including him, aren't playing as well as they have in the past.

Image source, Getty Images

After looking like they'd turned a corner with two wins in early October, the Potters have lost their last two Championship games and are four points off safety.

Birmingham Live

A few of the stories making the headlines on the Birmingham Live website today:

• Man who washed and sold used stamps on eBay rumbled by police after key mistake, external
• Cutbacks to housing repairs in Birmingham due to massive £93m Grenfell safety bill, external
• Anger as passengers react to widespread train delays and chaos from Birmingham, external

BBC Weather Watchers

A dry morning so far but there's still plenty of flood water around following the weekend's heavy rain in the West Midlands.

These are from BBC Weather Watchers Mandyd in Stafford and Peter Steggles in Rushbury, Shropshire:

Image source, Mandyd

Image source, Peter Steggles

Bridgnorth rugby club says the flooding this week has caused damage estimated at thousands of pounds.

Its pitches, which are alongside the River Severn, have been under water and its marquee has been damaged.

Image source, Environment Agency

Vice chairman Ian George said it was the worst flooding he had seen in nearly 20 years and the second flood in the past two months.

He said the pitches usually drained well, but couldn't cope with the amount of water that had been flowing down the river.

BBC Breakfast

An MP who rebelled against Boris Johnson over Brexit says she doesn't expect to have the whip restored, external before the planned general election in December.

Image source, UK Parliament

Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach was expelled from the parliamentary Conservative Party along with 20 other Tory MPs after backing efforts to pass legislation to block a no-deal Brexit.

However, she backed Theresa May's Brexit deal with the EU in all three votes on the issue and voted for Boris Johnson's own deal earlier this month.

Yesterday, just before the vote on the prime minister's plan to hold an early general election, Boris Johnson restored the whip to 10 of the former rebels.

They didn't include Ms Sandbach and she's now planning to stand as an independent.

The flood barriers that protect Ironbridge will be dismantled today and Telford and Wrekin Council said it hoped to have The Wharfage open again soon.

The top level of the defences were removed yesterday as river levels on the Severn started to fall and the council said shops and other businesses have remained open.

The council will spend £30,000 exploring other gull tackling options, including lasers.

Dudley News

The Dudley News' headlines today include:

• Builder who posted naked pics on swingers websites avoids jail, external
• Stourbridge MP Margot James has whip restored, external
• Business park sells for £15m, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

Metal sculptures of prehistoric elephants are now "roaming" a country park in Warwickshire.

Image source, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

They've been installed at Ryton Pools, Ryton on Dunsmore, south of Coventry, by the county's wildlife trust, external.

It says the pair, an adult and a calf, represent straight-tusked elephants which would have inhabited the area about half a million years ago.

Image source, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

The company that owns the former Ironbridge Power Station site has said it still hopes to demolish the four cooling towers in November.

"The main thing that we're waiting for is the go-ahead from Shropshire Council," Iain Thomson, from the Harworth Group, said.

"We've said to the public already that we wanted to bring this down in November and that still remains our aim."

Once the towers are demolished Harworth wants to build 1,000 homes on the land, along with shops, offices, sports facilities and a school.

The power station sits on a 350-acre site and was built in 1963. It stopped producing electricity in 2015.

Allen Cook
BBC News

These photos show how parts of Worcester are still under water, several days after Saturday's heavy rain.

They show Pitchcroft, the home of Worcester Racecourse.

The Environment Agency's kept its flood warning in place for the area this morning,, external meaning more flooding is expected, adding it doesn't expect river levels to fall for several days.

BBC Midlands Today

The home of a town's longstanding cricket and hockey clubs will go on sale in an online auction today., external

The Morris Ground in Chase Park, Cannock, is going under the hammer after the body running it went into receivership.

Both Cannock Cricket Club - formed in 1860 - and Cannock Hockey Club are currently playing at temporary facilities.

The venue is owned by the overarching Cannock Cricket & Hockey Club and it is that body, not the individual sports clubs, which has gone into receivership.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

The Stoke-on-Trent Live website's headlines include:

• Woman killed passenger in horror smash after performing illegal overtaking manoeuvre, external
• PCC Matthew Ellis quizzed as neighbouring forces 'hire more cops with less money', external
• Dangerous driver bitten by police dog after abandoning car as he tried to evade arrest, external

James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Seagulls in Worcester won't be culled next year after city councillors decided against the move.

Image source, Getty Images

The local authority has tried out other measures, such as "gull proof" bins and using drones to replace eggs with fakes, but neither method has been deemed a success.

Last night, councillors were told a general cull would be illegal.

Instead, they'll spend £30,000 on other measures to tackle the problem and gather evidence on the bird's threat to public health.

The council has long railed about the birds in Worcester saying they are a threat to health.