A water firm believes this is the only way to reassure people that no further incidents will occur.

Port Vale forward Tom Pope has been charged by Football Association over an allegedly anti-Semitic social media post.

Coventry Live

These are some of the stories making headlines in the Coventry Telegraph this morning:

• Coventry residents battling ‘nightmare’ kerb wars with council, external
• Passenger squares up to National Express driver in heated row, external
• Pupil places to be cut at three Coventry schools, external

An armed robbery at an off-licence near Crewe last night could be linked to three others in recent weeks.

Cheshire Police said three masked men armed with baseball bats had targeted Bargain Booze, in Kings Drive, Wistaston, getting away with cash, cigarettes and alcohol.

Image source, Google

A shop worker who was in the store room at the time wasn't hurt, but is said to be shaken.

A health and wellbeing programme set up to take pressure off hospitals and social care services in Telford is expected to go over budget by £600,000.

The Telford and Wrekin Better Care Fund has a budget of nearly £24m and is jointly run by the council and the clinical commissioning group.

Image source, Getty Images

A report for the borough's health and wellbeing board said the 2.5% overspend was caused by demand for care beds and the council and CCG said they would absorb the costs equally.

Better care funds were established by the government in 2013 and the council and CCG have collaborated in Telford and Wrekin since 2017.

Its aim is to prevent admissions into hospital, support residents to live well and reduce the dependency on services.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

The Coventry City manager Mark Robins is challenging his players to make it an "exciting end of the season" after their FA Cup exit at the hands of Birmingham City last night.

They led twice in the replay only to lose the game on a penalty shoot-out.

Robins said it was "harsh" but they had had "three good chances to put the game to bed in normal time".

Image source, Getty Images

Despite the defeat, Robins also said: "I'm proud of the players, I thought they were brilliant."

They now host League One's bottom side, Bolton Wanderers, on Saturday and with 17 games to play, are just two points off one of the division's automatic promotion places.

BBC Weather Watchers

The BBC Weather Watchers have shared more colourful pictures of the sunrise this morning.

These ones were taken in Dawley, Shropshire, and Droitwich, Worcestershire.

Image source, Liam Ball

Image source, Jonny

Slade drummer Don Powell said he'd been sacked without warning from the band, in an email from guitarist Dave Hill.

A statement issued on Mr Powell's behalf said: "Dave has sent Don a cold email to inform him that his services are no longer required, after working together and being friends since 1963."

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Powell said he would continue playing using the name Don Powell's Slade.

But Mr Hill said the decision "had not come out of the blue and his announcement is not accurate", but did not explain what the dispute was about.

Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes agrees a three-year contract extension until the end of the 2023 season.

A Birmingham city councillor has apologised for posting "I like tits and foof foof" on Facebook while he was out drinking to celebrate Brexit.

The Frankley Great Park Conservative member Simon Morrall made the comment during an online discussion about which nightclub he should visit in London.

When one follower suggested he visit a gay bar, he responded: "well I can typically out dance gays all night, but unfortunately I like tits and foof foof!”

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Councillor Nicky Brennan, the women’s officer for the Labour group, made a formal complaint to leader Ian Ward and said: “Locker room talk and objectification of women’s body parts should not be tolerated."

On Tuesday, when Mr Morrall was asked about the comments at a council meeting, he said: “It has been brought to my attention that some comments I made drunkenly over the weekend on my Facebook have got some media attention.

“Those comments were in no way intended to offend, objectify or upset anybody, so I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologise, I’m sorry.”

Musician Angela Moran, whose grandparents were amongst thousands of Irish to move to Britain in the 1950s, tells the story of the Birmingham Irish through the memories of local people and rare archive footage.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

The police officer given the task of reducing knife crime in Coventry said more officers were needed to tackle the problem.

Ch Insp Paul Minor also said knives were found on a daily basis, although they were not always associated with someone being stabbed.

Image source, Getty Images

Ch Insp Minor said: "The very presence of police officers in a place means that knife crime doesn't exist. It doesn't exist around uniformed officers.

"Undoubtedly the increase in officers will reduce knife crime."

But the assistant police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands said police numbers were not the only solution and they had to look at the causes of knife crime and educating young people, while taking "a collective response to these issues".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Work to upgrade CCTV cameras in the middle of Worcester should be finished by next month, the city council has said.

The project was originally meant to be done by March 2018, but the authority said it had taken longer than expected because it had decided to upgrade more cameras.

Image source, Google

Councillors agreed in September 2016 to spend £80,000 on the cameras, many of which are more than 10 years old, and they will now all produce HD images.

BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

For a brief moment Shrewsbury Town fans thought they'd taken the lead against Liverpool last night, only to have it snatched away by VAR, which ruled the goal out for offside.

They've been reacting to the game on the BBC Radio Shropshire Facebook page, external and Jennifer Powell wrote: "The Shrews played well and it was cruel the way they lost, a disallowed goal, then an own goal. They did their best and I would imagine the supporters have had a great night out, great experience going to Anfield."

Image source, Getty Images

Gary Ray was critical of the perfomance and commented: "Looked flat tactically poor same old shrews for big games."

There are a few Liverpool fans in Shropshire and Chris Kynaston appears to be one of them. He wrote: "Delighted with our kids but pleased Town got their pay day as well as one hell of a memory to take away."

And Roger Grafton pointed out: "Out of both ties Shrewsbury scored more goals, just at the wrong end."

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

On Tuesday, Ikea announced plans to close its Coventry store after 13 years in the city centre.

It said the shop made "consistent losses" and operational costs were high due to it being spread over seven levels.

Image source, Getty Images

Jim O'Boyle, from Coventry City Council, ruled out developing the space for housing and retail expert Theresa Wickham suggested it was "likely it will be split up into several units" perhaps with more opportunities for leisure including a gym and hairdressers.

Mr O'Boyle said the priority for the council was to work to support the 352 workers at risk of losing their jobs.

"It's important we do all we can to work with them and the company in order to try and help and support them at this difficult time," he said.

Express and Star

Here's a look at this morning's top stories from the Express and Star:

• Slade drummer Don Powell fired by bandmate Dave Hill in 'cold email', external
• Inquest told of regrets over care after baby's death, external
• Council tax bills up by £10 to help fund West Midlands Police, external

A referendum may ask if people will accept council tax rises to tackle climate change and disasters.

West Midlands Police has now arrested 1,090 people on suspicion of domestic abuse since the start of 2020.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The force is targeting domestic abuse in an intensive campaign and said it had detained suspects for offences ranging "from nasty assaults to bullying behaviour, harassment and breaches of restraining orders".

Among its latest arrests are a man from Coventry who allegedly held a hot iron to his partner's face, and another man from Netherton accused of biting a woman's ear in an attack on Christmas Day.

“Every day we are tracing and arresting people who are accused of domestic violence and abuse.

"Not just physical abuse, but also emotional, psychological, verbal and financial abuse," West Midlands Police Supt Sally Simpson said.

A vigil will be held tonight to mark one year since four children were killed in a house fire in Stafford.

Image source, Police handout

Riley Holt, eight; Keegan Unitt, six; Tilly Rose Unitt, four; and Olly Unitt, three, died in a blaze at their family home in the Highfields area on 5 February 2019.

Their two-year-old sibling, Jack, and their mother survived the blaze, along with her partner.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and investigations are ongoing, authorities say.

Park Lane West in Tipton remains closed today, more than 24 hours after a burst main shut the street for the second time in fewer than six months.

South Staffordshire Water remains at the scene to repair the main and the damaged road surface, although it says residents' water supply should have returned to normal by now.

About 170 properties were without power, with a gas leak complicating matters.

Eight people had to be rescued from their homes.

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

The water supplier says it has taken the decision to replace the entire 300-metre length of pipe on Park Lane West, rather than just the damaged section, in an operation that will take six to eight weeks.

"We believe that this is the only way we can provide reassurance to residents that no further incidents will occur," a spokesperson said.