Hand hygiene and PPE use was not always acceptable on the New Cross Hospital ward, a probe finds.

The average price of a house in the West Midlands has risen to almost £221,000 following an annual rise of 9% in the region.

Image source, Getty Images

Figures from the Halifax suggest UK house prices jumped by 9.5% in the year to May, boosted by the government's stamp duty holiday, which ends this month.

The average house price in the West Midlands now stands at £220,998, compared with £261,743 nationally.

Russell Galley, Halifax's managing director, said buyer preferences were shifting "in anticipation of new, post-pandemic lifestyles".

"Greater demand for larger properties with more space might warrant an increased willingness to spend a higher proportion of income on housing," he said.

Professor Alice Roberts explores some of this year's most exciting archaeological finds from the west of Britain. Each discovery comes straight from the trenches/site, filmed by the archaeologists themselves. We discover the camp from which Vikings invaded Britain, and find groundbreaking new evidence that the world-famous Avebury stone circle isn't just a sacred site but a place where our ancestors lived and worked - a discovery that's also changing our understanding of neighbouring Stonehenge. In Staffordshire, the oldest Iron Age gold in Britain is unearthed - a set of beautiful gold torcs, mysteriously abandoned 2,500 years ago.

A van driver died when his vehicle was collision with a car in Worcester.

The crash, which involved a Peugeot 2008, happened on the B4203 last Wednesday.

Image source, Google

"Unfortunately a 66-year-old man from Bromyard who was driving the van was pronounced deceased at the scene," West Mercia Police said.

Officers want to hear from anyone with information about the crash, which happened at the junction with the B4204.

Thieves damaged tills, computers and three doors and took £100 during the break-in in Kings Heath.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to build 1,000 homes on the site of the former Ironbridge Power Station are set to be approved.

The redevelopment of the 340-acre site at Buildwas will also include a retirement village, primary school, shops, rail link, business sites and sports, leisure and healthcare facilities, in what will effectively become a new town.

The plans will go before Shropshire Council’s southern planning committee next week and officers say outline planning permission should be granted.

It comes after Telford and Wrekin Council’s planning committee approved the cross-boundary application last month.

If approval is granted, the developer Harworth Group will pay a £16.75m contribution towards local infrastructure, ring-fenced for work directly associated with the development, including £5.1m for a new on-site primary school and £4.4m towards expanding William Brookes School, in Much Wenlock.

Birmingham Live

Here are some of the stories on the Birmingham Live website today:

• Mum given 'weeks to live' after being diagnosed with brain tumour, external

• West Midlands Cycle Hire bikes 'now being abandoned like e-scooters' as offenders told to expect fines, external
• Two teens arrested after family racially abused in Wolverhampton park, external

BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to sign Aston Villa and England midfielder Jack Grealish, 25, this summer. (ESPN), external

Everton have interviewed former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, 47, about succeeding Carlo Ancelotti as manager after the Italian left to re-join Real Madrid. (Football Insider), external

West Ham and Aston Villa are keen to sign Burnley striker Chris Wood, while Everton are monitoring the 29-year-old New Zealand international while they await the appointment of a new manager. (Mirror), external

Aston Villa are favourites to sign 16-year-old central defender Josh Feeney from Fleetwood in the summer, but they face competition from Manchester United for the England Under-16 captain. (Mail), external

Paul Fuller was an "incredibly well-respected man", his deputy says.

Ish Sodhi replaces Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane as overseas spinner in Worcestershire's T20 Blast squad.

A 17-year-old who was targeted last month says racism is too often ignored by victims.

It's a beautiful start to the day with a lot of sunshine around this morning, staying largely dry and clear through to the afternoon.

Temperatures are on the rise, with highs of up to 23C (73F).

Image source, Tippytoes/ BBC Weather Watchers

Six women sat on Bishops Itchington parish council post-war and faced a male plot to overthrow them.

Two teenagers appear in court charged with murdering Dea-John Reid in Birmingham.

Two people have been arrested after a disorder at a property in Birmingham.

A 27-year-old man suffered a cut to his ear and neck and a 25-year-old had cuts to his chest and ear after the incident on Stirling Road in Edgbaston at about 05:00am on Monday, West Midlands Police said.

Image source, Google

Their injuries are not life-threatening or life-changing, the force said.

Two people were arrested and taken to hospital, also with injuries that were not life-threatening or life-changing, it added.

They have since been discharged and remain in police custody.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Changes are to be made at Warwickshire cricket ground and the University of Birmingham’s Sports and Fitness Centre ahead of hosting events for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Papers due to go before the council’s planning committee this week show how the Sports and Fitness Centre will be adapted to host the hockey and squash events, while Edgbaston stadium will undergo small alterations in order to host the women’s cricket.

Image source, Google

All of the structures would be erected between June and July 2022 with the events held from 28 July to 7 August.

Worcestershire batsman Jack Haynes could be out long-term after suffering a serious ankle injury.

A worldwide search finds a match in Germany for 19-month-old Gunner.

Detectives say they are stunned by Elahi's depravity and the industrial scale of his offending.