The demolition of a disused leisure centre in Telford is due to start start next week.

Stirchley and Brookside parish councillors have been told the work to knock down the Stirchley Recreation Centre on Grange Avenue could last until March next year and there are no current plans to build on the site.

Image source, Google

Once the building has gone, the site will be cleared, fenced off and security cameras will be put up.

Four cars were set alight by arsonists overnight in West Bromwich, said the fire service.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

Firefighters were called to Florence Road shortly before 03:45.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

It will be a dry and windy day with highs of 6C (43F).

BBC News Travel

A points failure at Birmingham New Street could delay rail services, National Rail is warning.

All lines are open, but disruption is expected until 08:00.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Nearly a third of registered voters stay away from the polls - but they could have a decisive influence if they turned out.

Women can expect to take on caring responsibilities more than a decade earlier than men, says study.

Jerahl Hall is on a mission to persuade more young people to get out and vote in the election.

Caolan Lavery's goal sends Walsall into the FA Cup second round at the expense of National League North club Darlington.

Bromsgrove earn a try bonus point inside the first seven minutes on way to a 36-try 240-0 win over South Leicester.

Brian Topliss "abused those who trusted him in the most deviant way", police say.

We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 tomorrow.

There are still long delays on one of Stoke-on-Trent's main roads, more than 12 hours after a huge lorry fire.

Highways England engineers are continuing to clear the northbound carriageway of the A500 and one lane's been re-opened, but work to resurface the road at Shelton New Road is ongoing.

Image source, Highways England

This morning the road was shut for more than eight hours after the lorry, containing 40 pallets, went up in flames.

Staffordshire Police says nobody was injured.

Crewe Town Council says the transfer of £58,000 to residents should have been approved two months ago.

BBC Politics

The Liberal Democrats have confirmed they are suspending their hopeful in Birmingham Hodge Hill, Waheed Rafiq, over anti-Semitic social media posts originally reported by Buzzfeed News, external.

Since the deadline for registering candidates has now passed, the party won't be able to put up a new candidate in the seat, where they came a distant fourth at the 2017 election.

A spokesperson said the party became aware of the issue earlier this afternoon and after "an investigation showed that the tweets and posts were genuine" the decision was taken to suspend him.

Coventry Live

Here are three of the stories from the Coventry Live website today:

• Modern slavery arrests in Coventry, external
• Driver killed in motorway horror crash, external
• Coventry Christmas lights switch-on, external

Highways England says the improvement works at junction six of the M5 should be largely finished, and the roundabout fully open, by Christmas.

It says progress was delayed by ground conditions early in the scheme, and the recent heavy rainfall also hindered progress of the work at the Worcester North turn off.

Image source, Google

There will be more closures in January to complete the works, but those will be carried out overnight to avoid disruption.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

Dry and breezy tonight but it will cloud over early tomorrow with the chance of the odd patch of mist:

Keep up-to-date on the latest forecast for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

More than 100,000 people in Birmingham are drinking alcohol above "safe" limits, health bosses have revealed.

Image source, PA Media

The city has about 13,300 people who are alcohol-dependent but more than seven times that figure consume above the levels recommended by doctors – 21 units per week for men and 14 units for women.

The figures from Public Health England were revealed at the council's Health and Wellbeing committee this week , externaland also showed more than 10,000 residents used opiate drugs like heroin and crack.

The local authority's commissioning manager for substance misuse, Max Vaughan, told councillors there was "strong correlation" between deprivation in parts of the city and drug or alcohol abuse.

They heard most people getting treatment or recovering from opiate use are in the Perry Barr and Ladywood areas while Sutton Coldfield and Erdington are the most prevalent for alcoholism.

Compensation claims for delays by rail passengers in the West Midlands are 10 times higher than usual, figures show.